Eva Rataba Denies Receiving PKH Social Assistance Despite Inclusion in Decile 4 Data

Eva Stevancy Rataba, a member of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) from the NasDem Party faction, has strongly denied reports claiming she has received social assistance through the Program Keluarga Harapan (PKH). This clarification follows a controversy regarding her name appearing within the decile 4 group in the national socio-economic data.

“I emphasise that I have never received PKH social assistance and have never registered myself as a recipient of such aid,” Eva stated in Jakarta on Tuesday (8/9).

Eva explained that being categorised within decile 4 does not automatically make an individual a beneficiary of PKH. According to her, decile grouping serves merely as a map of socio-economic conditions, whereas the determination of social assistance recipients must undergo a separate and rigorous verification process.

As a concrete step to rectify this misunderstanding, Eva has directly questioned the data collection mechanism during a working meeting with Commission X of the DPR RI, involving the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS). Additionally, she has visited the North Toraja Regency Social Services Office to request a re-investigation of the data.

The legislator from South Sulawesi believes that the data error affecting her is a strong indicator that Indonesia’s socio-economic data collection system still requires fundamental improvements. She expressed concern that similar errors might be affecting citizens who are genuinely in need of assistance.

“If the data for a member of the DPR RI can be incorrect, there is certainly a possibility that people who truly need help are also experiencing data errors. Do not rush to conclusions without verification,” she asserted.

Concluding her statement, Eva urged relevant agencies to immediately update problematic data. This is considered crucial to ensure that the distribution of social assistance in the future can be more accurate, transparent, and precisely targeted to those entitled to it.