Heru Budi: 5 Percent of APBD for Subdistricts Was Implemented Before the DKJ Law Was Existed

So far, the DKI Provincial Government has disbursed 5 percent of the APBD budget for each sub-district through various sectors.

AGUIDO ADRI

The atmosphere on the first day of work at the Jakarta City Hall on Tuesday (April 16, 2024), after the Eid holiday. The Jakarta Provincial Government did not enforce WFH (work from home).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The allocation of 5 percent of the regional income and expenditure budget for villages, as stated in the Jakarta Special Region Local Regulation, is not a new policy. In the past, the Jakarta Provincial Government has disbursed funds in the same value for each village through various sectors.

Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono, Monday (29/4/2024). said that the policies regulated in the Jakarta Special Region Law (UU DKJ) had been implemented for a long time. However, so far the funds have been channeled directly to work units in sub-districts.

"Actually, DKI Jakarta has implemented it through the side sectors, namely the departments in the sub-district, such as Public Works and Social Services," said Heru.

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Heru exemplified that for the budget of road improvements in the district, it is allocated through Bina Marga DKI Jakarta. The same goes for social guarantees through the social service department. He sees that the only difference is the mechanism itself.

Heru stated that the DKJ Law emphasizes that the allocated budget must be directly disbursed and managed by the local community. The Jakarta Provincial Government will also develop a scheme for implementing the regulation and gather input from various parties.

NINA SUSILO

Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono.

Heru emphasized that the allocation of 5 percent of the regional budget for urban villages is different from the rules of village funds in other areas. In village funds, the village head directly manages it. Urban villages in Jakarta are part of the organizational structure in the Jakarta Provincial Government, and the budget for urban villages in Jakarta comes from the Jakarta regional budget.

"Thus, its management is still regulated by the provincial government, namely civil servants. The head of the sub-district is part of the organizational structure, namely the structural apparatus of the region," said Heru.

The Assistant for Government Affairs of the Secretary of the Regional Government of DKI Jakarta, Sigit Wijatmoko, added that they will listen to a complete explanation from the Ministry of Home Affairs in May regarding the budget. This is because in the process, every budget proposal, including changes, must be evaluated by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

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Sigit said, DKI Provincial Government so far does not have an idea regarding the allocation of 5 percent of the APBD for sub-districts. His party was not involved in discussing the budget allocation plan.

"The DKI Provincial Government only wants to make good use of the 5 percent APBD for sub-districts so that it doesn't cause problems in the future. "For example, the 5 percent budget for the education sector at sub-district level requires what percentage and what direction to pay attention to," said Sigit.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Traffic jam conditions on Jalan MT Haryono, Jakarta, Tuesday (28/11/2023).

Sigit added that an explanation from the Ministry of Home Affairs will be crucial so that the sub-districts can utilize the funds, including their human resources. This is because the allocation of 5 percent of the budget is meant for providing services to the community and must be done through proper service.

Previously reported, the Jakarta Special Regional Government is required to allocate 5 percent of the regional budget for the operational needs of all the sub-districts in the area. The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Suhajar Diantoro, explained that the obligation to allocate 5 percent of the regional budget for sub-districts has been regulated in the Jakarta Regional Regulation.

"This budget is for maintaining development equality. We agree that a minimum of 5 percent of the local government budget funds must be distributed all the way down to the neighborhood level," said Suhajar (Kompas.id, Monday, 22/4/2024).

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According to Suhajar, the policy is one manifestation of the agreement between the government and parliament to provide greater space, access, and opportunities for the development of DKJ government. The policy of allocating a minimum of 5 percent of the regional budget for villages is distributed based on the workload and administrative regions of the village to solve social problems for the community.

Suhajar stated that the primary priority of the budget is to assist elderly individuals without a means of livelihood, provide free education for orphaned children, and provide working capital for people with disabilities. Additionally, there are programs to improve the nutrition of toddlers living below the poverty line and open job opportunities for school dropouts.

AGUIDO ADRI

The atmosphere of the first day of work at DKI Jakarta City Hall, Tuesday (16/4/2024), after the Eid holiday.

Too big

In response to the policy, Chairman of the Jakarta City Regional Council (DPRD), Prasetyo Edi Marsudi, questioned the urgency of providing a minimum of 5% of the Jakarta Regional Budget for each neighborhood. According to him, the regulation in the Regional Governance Law is similar to the Village Fund policy applied in other regions.

The Chairman of the Jakarta Regional People's Representative Council's PDI-P faction, Prasetyo Edi Marsudi, assessed that the budget for the village whose amount is set at a minimum of 5 percent of the APBD is actually too large. Moreover, the needs of each region are different.

"The budget is quite large. What is its relevance in each region? For example, in a certain village where there is not much need, what will the money be used for?" said Prasetyo.

The budget is quite large. Now what is its importance in each region?

According to Prasetyo, the regulations within the DKJ law are similar to the village fund policy implemented in other regions. In addition, the issues faced in each neighborhood in Jakarta are different, so budget is not yet the main factor in optimizing the tasks of each neighborhood.

"This policy is not suitable if implemented in Jakarta because the issues in each neighborhood are different. Moreover, the area is relatively small and already managed at the district and city levels. The Indonesian Parliament, as the drafters of the Regional Autonomy Law, should have discussed this with the Jakarta Regional Council before making this policy," he said.