Not Just DKI, Many Regions Are Not Maximum Budget Absorption

Activities at the market at night (Anto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The absorption of the budget in DKI - only two months remaining - is still far from 90 percent. Be grateful, Jakarta, because the budget absorption is not optimal, so a problem for many regions.

Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian said there are still many other areas whose budget absorption is not on target. Unfortunately, Tito did not specify the names of the regions.

"I saw from last week, the report from the Director General for Regional Finance, it turns out that there are a lot of regions (not reaching the budget absorption target). I didn't say Jakarta, yes, the regions whose absorption capacity is only around 60 percent. another month, "said Tito at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Friday (1/11/2019).

The former National Police Chief said, every budget used must be ensured that its use can be felt by the public. Do not let, he said, the used capital expenditure budget only be enjoyed by regional officials.

"I imagine if 60 percent is for personnel spending and spending on goods, it means that employees enjoy this. So, which people do they enjoy? That's the key in capital spending," said Tito.

To prevent the capital expenditure budget from being enjoyed by the public, Tito said, the Ministry of Home Affairs would ask regional heads, DPRD, various supervisory agencies as well as the KPK and BPK to continue to scrutinize the existing budget. The goal is that the existing funds can truly be felt by the community. Moreover, Tito has received direction from President Joko Widodo so that every regional budget can truly be enjoyed by the community.

"Regions must adjust, where there must be programs that touch on human resource development, particularly in the fields of health and education, stunting, for example," he said.

In addition to the matter of regional budgets that must be absorbed, but the allocation is clear to the public, he also said that local governments must really open up space for ease of investment. "Don't make it difficult. When the private sector enters, it's okay, 'what do I get?'. If it's like that, we will be firm," he said.

Will hold a meeting with the regional head

To equalize the frequency of budget utilization issues, in the middle of this month, the Ministry of Home Affairs will gather regional heads together with law enforcers. Later Jokowi will return to convey his vision and mission in his second term of leadership.

"Later, the President will convey the vision and mission, so that all regional heads understand what the vision and mission is, so that they can be included in the draft APBD, in addition to the unique needs of their respective regions," said Tito.

"Then the Coordinating Ministers and related Ministers will also describe all programs, then there will be a panel and question and answer, then we will also invite supervisors, the KPK, BPK, BPKP and others to convey their main points of view," he added.

Tito said that from the meeting, it was hoped that all elements of regional government officials would be able to comprehensively understand the national priority programs that will be implemented in programs in their respective regions.

"So that when they return to the regions, everyone understands the vision and mission of the Central Government, after that the APBD is revised according to these points, in addition to regional needs," he concluded.