Apdesi Asks For 10 Percent State Budget Allotment For Village Funds

Commemoration of the 9th Anniversary of the Village Law in Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) (Diah Ayu Wardani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Today, village heads from various regions in Indonesia gathered to celebrate the commemoration of the 9th Anniversary of the Village Law at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK).

At this event, the General Chairperson of the Central Executive Board (DPP) of the All-Indonesian Village Government Association (Apdesi), Surta Wijaya, echoed demands that the government allocate 10 percent of the APBN for the Village Fund program.

"So, in the future 10 percent of the village fund's fixed price from the state budget, will you agree?" said Surta to the village heads who attended, Sunday, March 19.

According to Surta, the existence of the village has played a very important role in history. The village existed before Indonesia's independence. This, he said, was proven by the inscriptions around 300 masehi.

Therefore, Surta feels that the state has a debt to the village and must pay more attention than urban areas with an increase in the nominal value of the Village Fund.

"It's not just urban areas that have to be built. But in the village it must be the front line now. People no longer think, let's go to the city. No longer people look to the city, but have to go down and run to the village," he said.

After giving the speech, Surta again reminded that this demand should be granted, both from the government and members of the legislature. Because, of the 10 percent of the APBN to the Village Fund, continued Surta, village heads can accelerate development.

"We propose to the executive and legislative governments that village funds must be 10 percent in the future. Because it will accelerate village development. With 10 percent realized funds, it will be answered there. It will accelerate development, including infrastructure, education, health, human resources, stunting, malnutrition, slum houses and so on," he explained.

On the other hand, Surta views that the demands of 10 percent of Village Funds from the APBN do not cause an increase in the misuse of village funds that are included in corruption crimes that have occurred in several areas.

According to him, this is a personal problem for village heads. "The problem of cheating the use of the Village Fund runs to each other personally. I hope that my friends, in the same fate as the village head, let's work on building villages, we will use village funds well so that the acceleration of village development is better," explained Surta.

Furthermore, Apdesi also asked the government to set February 15 as a commemoration of National Village Day. Then, Apdesi also urged that 7,000 village heads whose term of office expires in 2023 not be extended and the village head elections (pilkades) will not be postponed before the 2024 election.