Minister Maruarar's Response, Deputy Head Of Commission V DPR Affirms People Who Don't Have A House Doesn't Mean They Are Poor

Illustration. Rumah warga Baduy di Kampung Baduy Mualaf Landeh, Lebak, Banten, Senin 24 Juni 2019. (Antara-M Bagus Khoirunas)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission V DPR RI, Syaiful Huda, responded to the proposal of the Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas (PKP) Maruarar Sirait which included people who did not have houses in the poor category. Huda emphasized that there needs to be an in-depth study regarding Maruarar's proposal.

Because according to him, not everyone who doesn't have a house is poor. Sometimes, said Huda, people choose not to have a house because the comfort factor is not due to the element of inability.

Many Gen Z groups choose to rent apartments in the city center due to comfort factors. Close to the workplace, near the entertainment center. Then are we categorizing them as poor," said Syaiful Huda, Thursday, December 19.

The West Java electoral district PKB legislator said that in rural areas, not a few residents chose not to buy a house and live in the same roof with their extended families for cultural reasons. Even though they have permanent work and access to own a house.

"Their condition is sufficient to buy their respective homes. Then what is this categorized as poor?," he said.

Therefore, Huda assessed that Maruarar's proposal to include people who do not have a house in the poor category needs an in-depth study. In addition, according to him, there must also be a joint agreement from Bappenas, BPS or related institutions to include a homeless clause, as an indicator of poverty.

"The poverty indicators referred to by the World Bank, UNDP, IMF, and BPS generally consist of two elements, namely monetary, such as income and non-monoment, such as access to basic services. So it is necessary to make it clear whether you do not have a home to enter the monetary or non-monetary elements to be an indicator of poverty," he said.

Huda admitted that he fully supports the 3 million house program per year launched by the government. For that, he said, a clear road map needs to be made in his achievement strategy.

"If there is a road map for meeting the target of 3 million houses per year, we can control the breakthroughs made by the government so as not to hit existing regulations and not to cause unnecessary controversy," he concluded.

Previously, PKP Minister Maruarar Sirait discussed that residents who do not have houses were included in the category of the poor.

"I think it is very appropriate for us to include people who do not have a house, the first house, is categorized as poor," said the man who is familiarly called Ara at the Regional Financial Coordination Meeting of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Jakarta, Wednesday, December 18.