Aceh Provincial Government Urged to Be Transparent in Disaster Budget Management
Banda Aceh — Several university students united under the Gempata movement, a youth movement defending Acehnese land, staged a peaceful protest demanding the Aceh Provincial Government and its disaster response task force to be transparent in managing disaster relief funds, including regional transfer funds (TKD).
“We demand the Aceh Provincial Government to openly disclose disaster implementation documents, from planning to realisation,” said Field Coordinator Syahputra Ariga in Banda Aceh on Monday.
During the protest held in front of the office of the Aceh Governor, the crowd carried several banners stating that the government must work for the people, and questioned the realisation of the 1.6 trillion rupiah TKD fund that the central government had returned.
Syahputra said their main demand in this action was to seek clarification on the realisation of the BTT and TKD funds that the central government had transferred some time ago. However, their usage remains unknown.
“We question whether the realisation has been in accordance with its intended purpose or not,” he said.
To date, he said, there were no visible results from the implementation of BTT and TKD funds for disaster-affected communities in Aceh, meaning there were still problems that needed to be addressed.
Therefore, Syahputra continued, his party urged the Aceh government to improve its pattern of disaster response and approach to disaster victims. The expected orientation is that all community needs are met.
He acknowledged that the central government had provided substantial assistance for handling Aceh’s basic disaster needs, but questioned why they had not been fully met.
Accordingly, he added, they demanded the Aceh government to open and directly explain the distribution pattern, who the recipients are and how it is implemented in the field, whether it has been in accordance with regulations or not.
“We want transparency on how the funds are used, what they are for and evidence of realisation that has been distributed in the field,” he insisted.
Beyond the TKD issue, the crowd also demanded the Aceh Provincial Government transparently disclose the names of volunteers recruited and provided meals and allowances, and to open complete documents regarding the procurement of 650,000 tonnes of logistics.
“We also demand that the Aceh Police Regional Office fulfil its obligation as law enforcement authorities to process alleged corruption in the 2025 hydrometeorological disaster response,” Syahputra said.
Meanwhile, Secretary of the Aceh Disaster Management Agency (BPBA), M Syahril, when meeting the protesters, explained that approximately 300 tonnes of logistics remained in the BPBA warehouse. And, in accordance with regional requests, it had been sent to temporary shelters (Huntara).
However, he continued, specifically regarding the funds transferred from the central government to the regions, as demanded by the crowd, he could not yet explain and would need to report it to leadership first.
Nevertheless, the Aceh Provincial Government has prepared a post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction plan (R3P) for Aceh, which is accessible to the public.
“Regarding the rehabilitation and reconstruction planning, that can be accessed by the community through the Aceh government portal,” M Syahril said.