Asking For An Increase In The Budget Of The Ministry Of Human Rights Of IDR 20 Trillion, Natalius Pigai Admits He Deliberately Made An Earthquake

Working Meeting of the Minister of Human Rights Natalius Pigai with Commission XIII DPR. Photo: Nailin/VOI

JAKARTA - Minister of Human Rights (HAM), Natalius Pigai attended a working meeting with Commission XIII of the DPR at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday, October 31.

During the meeting, Pigai admitted that he deliberately issued a shocking statement regarding his ministry's additional request of up to IDR 20 trillion.

According to Pigai, he wants to make a breakthrough in the field of human rights. Where human rights is always ignored in every government policy.

"I am proud today because I was attacked. Because I want to bring this nation into a great nation by making breakthroughs beyond everyone's imagination. Where raising human rights is ignored, at the end of political policies and development, it becomes input in the main central policy in this republic," Pigai said in a meeting.

Therefore, the former human rights activist deliberately asked for an additional fantastic budget and doubled for the Ministry of Human Rights, from an allocation of IDR 64 billion to IDR 20 trillion.

"So that's actually what made me issue a shocking statement," Pigai said.

Pigai assessed that actually for human rights fighters, the statement was normal to provide awareness to the public that dealing with human rights issues was not easy.

"Maybe people think it's shocking, actually for us human rights defenders it's just a normal thing. What's extraordinary is that we were helped to raise awareness for this nation and country when the chairman of Commission XIII, Mr. Willy Aditya, responded quickly, Mr. Andreas Pareira, the leader responded quickly and became a byword in society from the eastern tip of Papua to the western tip of Sumatra. And it raised us, where there was an extraordinary positive response by civil society," explained Pigai.

"One civil society does not criticize, it shows that I express deep feelings for the human defenders throughout this country," he continued.

Therefore, Pigai thanked the leadership of Commission XIII of the DPR for expressing criticism. According to him, with a different perspective, his party can achieve the goal.

"We are of the view via negative, reaching the destination through different perspectives with us, leading us to become leaders. We are great people," said Pigai.

Pigai also considered the response to his statement as dynamic. Because he said he was chosen to be the minister of human rights by Prabowo Subianto, not because of the opposition.

"No, I became a minister not because I was in opposition, but because I was hit by those in the government. So I think it's a dynamic," said Pigai.