Dedi Mulyadi Responds to West Kalimantan Deputy Governor's Challenge over "Kissing Knees"

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has responded to a statement from West Kalimantan Deputy Governor Krisantus Kurniawan, who challenged him to resolve issues in West Kalimantan using a Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD) of Rp6 trillion.

“Go ahead, make Dedi Mulyadi the Governor of West Kalimantan. I’d like to see it, but using an APBD of Rp6 trillion to develop West Kalimantan. If he can do it, I’ll kiss his knees,” Krisantus said during the Development Planning Deliberation Forum (Musrenbang) at the Sintang Regent’s Office on Thursday, 9 April 2026.

In response, Dedi Mulyadi expressed appreciation for the challenge while affirming that he has never intended to compare development in West Java with other regions.

According to KDM—his familiar nickname—each region faces different challenges, particularly in terms of area and fiscal capacity. He acknowledged that areas like West Kalimantan have more complex development burdens due to their vast coverage and limited budgets.

“I understand how challenging it is for regions with an area as large as West Kalimantan and the fiscal limitations they have,” Dedi Mulyadi said via his personal Instagram, quoted by VIVA.co.id on Sunday, 12 April 2026.

Dedi also invited all parties not to debate inter-regional comparisons but to focus on joint efforts to enhance services to the public. He hopes that regional fiscal capacity will improve in the future, including through more equitable revenue-sharing mechanisms.

“I apologise if what is being done in West Java offends other regions. May we all work together to continue serving the public well,” said KDM.

Previously, Krisantus Kurniawan’s statement was triggered by a viral TikTok video comparing infrastructure conditions in West Kalimantan with West Java.

“We from Bedayan want to report that our road is damaged because our governor is slow to work, sleeps, only thinks about getting rich himself, doesn’t think about the many people. It’s useless to be governor; better Kang Dedi becomes governor for two months,” said a child in the TikTok video @elisabetmurniw.

Krisantus then emphasised that such comparisons do not consider the fundamental differences between the two provinces. He explained that West Java has an area of around 43,000 square kilometres with an APBD of about Rp31 trillion, while West Kalimantan has a much larger area of around 171,000 square kilometres with a budget of only Rp6 trillion.