The Amount Of Social Assistance Is Questioned: Why Is It Only IDR 600 Thousand Instead Of IDR 1 Million?

Illustrated photo (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Synergy Policies Founder Dinna Prapto Raharja questioned a number of aspects related to the function of distributing social assistance. One of them is the basis for determining the amount of assistance provided for the distribution of cash social assistance (BST) during the Implementation of Level 4 Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

"There is a lot of mention about the function of social assistance in the pandemic era to maintain purchasing power, but have we ever done a basic study. Why was it given IDR 600 thousand, instead of IDR 1 million?", said Dinna in a virtual discussion, Saturday, July 31, 2021.

In fact, she said, the government's goal in distributing social assistance was to keep the people's economy moving. Dinna questioned this because she wanted to see if the effectiveness of the distribution of BST had an impact on people's purchasing power.

Because according to her, the value given is considered not to have a big effect on all community groups. Such as BST IDR 600 thousand which is given to people who earn IDR 500 thousand. The assistance was considered unable to increase the people's purchasing power.

"It's different from then having more leeway so that they can rotate the economy by buying more goods so as to keep factories running", she explained.