Ban DKI Provincial Government From Buying Land Using APBD Next Year, DPRD Asks To Use Assets Not Used

Illustration-(Photo: DOK ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chairman of Commission D for the Development of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Ida Maheasy, explained the reason why his party prohibited the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government from buying land in the 2024 budget year APBD. Ida said that regional work units (SKPD) that are included in Commission D partners often carry out land purchases. The DPRD now feels that the land purchased from the APBD allocations in the last years has been too much. Meanwhile, there is still a budget allocation in the development program that is more needed. Ida also asked the SKPD to inventory assets that had not been used to then be utilized before buying new land. "Next year we will not budget (the purchase of land) first. Our suggestion is that yesterday last month that you first record your assets anywhere," said Ida when contacted, Tuesday, February 28. Restrictions on the approval of the members of the council for the purchase of land from the DKI Provincial Government, said Ida, have actually started since this year. This member of the PDIP faction of the DKI DPRD gave an example, in the preparation of the 2023 budget, the DKI Jakarta Public Housing and Settlement Area Office submitted a request for land purchase with a budget of Rp560 billion. However, the budget was canceled. "For example, the Housing Service has Rp560 billion for the purchase of land for flats, we had suggested flats in South Jakarta. But looking at the situation and conditions, yesterday we finally had a January meeting to summon all Commission D partners not to disburse the budget at the Housing Service," said Ida. Previously, the chairman of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Prasetyo Edi Marsudi, emphasized that he would prohibit the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government from budgeting for land purchases in the 2024 regional government (RKPD) work plan. RKPD is a regional government program planning and activities document for the next one year period whose budget is allocated in the APBD. According to Prasetyo, the DKI Provincial Government no longer needs to plan to purchase land in 2024. This is because every year the allocation of land acquisition budgets is always carried out and not all land is used. "I ask the SKPD, focus on the budget. Not like now, everyone buys (the land). Buying land is no longer necessary, Boss. Our land is already large," said Prasetyo when met at the DKI Jakarta DPRD Building, Tuesday, February 14. Prasetyo asked the ranks of the DKI Provincial Government to follow up on the priorities of the 2024 Jakarta development direction projected by the Acting Governor of DKI Heru Budi Hartono, Jakni in the form of increasing city resilience through strengthening the economy and strengthening the quality of basic services. A number of programs contained in the planning range from food security related to poverty alleviation and reduced stunting rates, flood prevention, to congestion alleviation. "Right now, we have a lot of land. We just maximize it, we use it. What we are thinking now is the problem of flooding, the problem of congestion, poverty, food security. Hopefully, there won't be an incident of food shortages in Jakarta," explained Prasetyo.