2 Regions Lack Of PSU Title Funds, Minister Of Home Affairs: We Operate Many Inefficient Budgets

Minister of Home Affairs Tiro Karnavian in a joint working meeting with Commission II of the DPR. Photo: Nailin/VOI

JAKARTA - Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tiro Karnavian responded to the existence of two regions whose budget had not been fulfilled to carry out the 2024 Pilkada re-voting (PSU). The two areas are Pasaman Regency and Boven Digoel Regency.

The Minister of Home Affairs stated that his party found many inefficient costs when dissecting the regional budget.

The Minister of Home Affairs emphasized that his party would not issue a state budget to finance the shortage of PSU implementation. So that his party will carry out budget surgery in each region.

"Our priority is from the APBD itself. Because we understand that sometimes there are many that are not efficient in the APBD. The problem of official travel, food money, there are areas where the food money is Rp. 51 billion a year, for example, meaning that if you divide it by 12 (month) Rp. 51 billion means Rp. 4 billion/month. If we look into it again until the smallest unit, this is not efficient," Tito said in a working meeting with Commission II of the DPR RI, Senayan, Jakarta, Monday, March 10.

"Similarly, the areas that travel by service are very large, for example. Maintenance of very high maintenance is also very high, which is actually a lot of simplified ones," he continued.

Therefore, Tito continued, the Ministry of Home Affairs is trying to fund PSU if there are no problems originating from the APBD. Tito said that only Papua has the ability to do so.

"For others, this zoom meeting has been carried out almost three times. With all stakeholders in the area dissecting their budget and capable, except in Pasaman who are still asking for this week's time, because of their withdrawal from the KPUD," he said.

"Because we hope that the scenario is that the Bawaslu KPUD submits a proposal, not a maximum proposal, but the proposal can at least work," added Tito.

Tito then mentioned that there were several areas that were overbudgeted during the implementation of the Pilkada. As in South Sumatra, the budget is more than IDR 80 billion.

"This means that most of the old submissions," he said.

Apart from Pasaman Regency, Tito said, the budget for the Boven Digoel Regency State Budget was not efficient when it was dissected. Therefore, the Minister of Home Affairs asked for an unnecessary operational expenditure budget to be reduced.

"This Boven Digoel, if asked by the regional head, the answer is definitely not able to please please go from the state budget. But when their budget has been dissected one by one, there are a lot of inefficients. This is what we do, go down and dissect their budget. Unnecessary operational spending and others are reduced," he concluded.

Previously, the General Election Commission (KPU) of the Republic of Indonesia said that there were two regions that had not been able to meet the budget to carry out the 2024 Pilkada re-voting (PSU). The two regions are Pasaman Regency and Boven Digoel Regency.

This was conveyed by a member of the Indonesian KPU, Yulianto Sudrajat in a working meeting (meeting) with Commission II of the DPR RI, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Bawaslu at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Central Jakarta, Monday, March 10.

Yulianto explained, there are 24 regions that will hold a re-voting (PSU). However, from 24 regions, he said, there are two whose budget has not been fulfilled to hold a PSU.

"So in principle, the total number of 24 regencies/cities remains only 2 districts whose budgets are not yet available by the local government, namely Pasaman Regency and Boven Digoel Regency," said Yulianto in a meeting.

"So the availability of the budget comes from the remaining 2024 Pilkada NPHD funds, and then the budget shortage is still waiting from the local government," he continued.