The Minister Of Home Affairs Encourages Local Governments In Papua To Meet The Budget Needs For The 2024 Regional Head Elections

Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian at the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Head Election Implementation Coordination Meeting in Papua Region in Jayapura, Papua, Wednesday (29/5/2024). ANTARA/HO-Puspen Ministry of Home Affairs

JAKARTA - Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian encourages local governments (Pemda) in Papua to immediately meet the needs of the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Head Election (Pilkada) budget.

According to him, the availability of the budget is one of the government's tasks in supporting the implementation of the 2024 Pilkada.

"From 2022, we have issued circulars, all regions to prepare coordination with KPUD, regional Bawaslu, Polri, TNI, ranks to prepare financing," Tito said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, May 29.

The Minister of Home Affairs explained that the regional election financing came from the regional revenue and expenditure budget (APBD), which was divided into two stages. The first stage was 40 percent sourced from the 2023 APBD and the second stage was 60 percent from the 2024 APBD.

The amount is in accordance with the regional grant agreement (NPHD) agreed by the regional government with the organizers and security forces. The existence of stages of payment realization is implemented so that regional finances are not too burdened.

"That's why from 2023, we did zoom meetings many times. I was with the team checking all regions, chasing them. Quickly pay," he explained.

In addition, Tito appreciated that 32 local governments in Papua had agreed to the NPHD with the regional and regional KPU.

However, for an agreement with the security forces, there are still 14 local governments that have not signed the NPHD with the TNI and 12 local governments with the Police. There are also local governments that have not fully realized the budget that has been agreed upon in the NPHD.

Budget support for security is needed considering that efforts to maintain security need to be carried out long before voting day.

"Not on D-days, starting from the start to create conditions that need all costs, this means that from now on the realization of the budget," said Tito.

Tito asked the governor as the representative of the central government in the regions to hold a meeting to pursue districts/cities that have not realized the regional election budget.

"Otherwise, they will say they cannot do the regional elections because there is no money, the reason is that they just went to the central level to complain to me, we have finished everything," he concluded.