Poverty Rate Increases, PDIP: Governor Anies Does Not Have Poverty Reduction Program

Deputy Chairman of the PDIP Faction DPRD DKI Ima Mahdiah (Diah Ayu / VOI)

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan admitted that the poverty rate in the capital city has increased. From September 2019, it was at 3.42 percent or 362,300 to 4.69 percent or 496,840 in September 2020.

Deputy Chairman of the PDIP Faction at the DPRD DKI, Ima Mahdiah, admitted that he was not surprised. Anies does not have a capable program to alleviate poverty.

"Governor Anies Baswedan does not have a clear program to tackle poverty," Ima told reporters, Tuesday, April 20.

Ima assessed that Anies was too focused on the program of beautifying the center of Jakarta. Such as the arrangement of sidewalks on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman to MH Thamrin, as well as the revitalization of pedestrian bridges.

"The program seems to only focus on beautification programs," said the former staff of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.

Previously, Anies admitted that the poverty rate had increased during the pandemic. However, he said the number of poor people in Jakarta was the lowest nationally compared to other provinces.

"The number of poor people in DKI Jakarta is the lowest when compared to other provinces in Indonesia," said Anies in his speech on the DKI Jakarta Governor's Accountability Statement (LKPJ) for the 2020 Fiscal Year at the DKI Jakarta DPRD Plenary Meeting.

This number is much lower than the percentage of the total number of poor people nationally which is at 10.19 percent. Anies said the COVID-19 pandemic was the main cause of the increase in the number of poor people in Jakarta.

"The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic is a factor in the increase in the number of poor people in the capital," said Anies.