DKI Provincial Government Denies Suswono Regarding The Number Of Recipients Of Operational Assistance For Reduced Worship Places

Fatahillah Mosque Jakarta (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has denied allegations of a candidate for Deputy Governor of Jakarta, Suswono regarding the program for distributing Operational Assistance for Places of Worship (BOTI) which was cut.

Plt. Assistant to the People's Welfare of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Secretary Suharini Eliawati emphasized that the number of places of worship receiving aid that have been distributed since 2019 has not decreased, but has increased.

"The number of beneficiaries of the BOTI grant has increased to adjust the need for the allocation of places of worship," Suharini said in his statement, Tuesday, September 17.

Suharini explained, in addition to assistance for the operation of houses of worship, administrators of places of worship also get incentives. Such as incentives for marbots, mosque imams, Koran teachers, church administrators, including priests, costers and Sunday school teachers.

"BoTI recipients in 2023 for mosques are 3,300 and prayer rooms is 3,000. For 2024 there is an increase, consisting of 3,350 mosques and 3,350 prayer rooms. Meanwhile, the number of church BOTI recipients remains the same as in previous years, namely 1,379 churches", said Suharini.

However, Suharini did not explain the nominal cuts in the distribution of BOTI for each place of worship during the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono's tenure.

Previously, Suswono admitted that he received complaints from the mosque council that currently the distribution of BOTI funds was cut by the DKI Provincial Government. Suswono will find out the cause.

"We heard their aspirations. Among them is about BOTI, yes, operational assistance for places of worship. What is said to be now being cut. By Plt (Here Budi). Maybe later we will need to know what the cause is so that it is cut," said Suswono, some time ago.

If he wins the 2024 Pilkada, Suswono promises to return the provision of BOTI with an equal budget at the beginning of the distribution, namely during the leadership of Anies Baswedan as Governor of DKI.

Where, every mosque, church, temple, temple, and bath gets IDR 2 million per month, while the prayer room receives an operational fund of IDR 1 million per month.

"This means that if funding is possible, why not? At least we will return the BOTI at least the same. We are grateful if it can add more, right? What is clear is that the function of places of worship later we can develop it," explained Suswono.

Apart from Suswono, the Chairman of the DKI Jakarta PKB Regional Leadership Council (DPW) Hasbiallah Ilyas has also received the same complaint from a number of mosque administrators. Where, the distribution of BOTI funds is routinely distributed by the DKI Provincial Government experiencing nominal cuts.

"I'm sorry, after Mr. Anies left for 2 years, Jakarta has often been complained about. In the past, mosque and prayer room administrators, the house of worship received a ceiling of Rp. 1.5 million per month, but today it fell because it was cut by 50 percent," explained Hasbi.