Fresh Hope in West Lombok's 31 Honorary Workers Polemic, BKN Opens Data Correction Window

Hope has been rekindled for 31 honorary workers in West Lombok who previously failed to obtain a Nomor Induk Pegawai (NIP) for the Part-Time Government Employee with Work Agreement (PPPK) scheme. The National Civil Service Agency (BKN) has provided an opportunity for the local government to correct non-conforming data, allowing the NIP issuance process to be pursued.

Head of the West Lombok Regional Personnel and Human Resources Development Agency (BKDPSDM), Baiq Mustika Dwi Adni, stated that this opportunity from the BKN would be maximised to resolve the issue affecting the 31 workers. She asserted that the West Lombok Regency Government would not wash its hands of the matter and would oversee the data correction process until completion. “We are not letting go; God willing, the BKN has given us room. We hope the results will meet expectations,” she said on Wednesday (5/8/2026).

According to Mustika, the BKN has only provided a limited timeframe for the corrections. Consequently, the BKDPSDM is accelerating the process to ensure all requirements are met promptly. She explained that if the error involved educational level data, it would be corrected according to the original biodata. She confirmed that corrections would be submitted for all affected workers, including educators and health workers.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of Commission IV of the West Lombok Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), Hendra Herianto, stated that his party would utilise political channels through the national House of Representatives (DPR RI) to oversee the data correction process up to the ministerial level.

The case originated when the West Lombok Regency Government proposed 31 honorary workers for the Part-Time PPPK scheme. However, their NIPs could not be issued because the participants’ data did not match the BKN database. West Lombok Regent Lalu Ahmad Zaini explained that the problem was triggered by data input errors made during the PPPK application process approximately four months prior. He noted that the data stored in the system did not match the participants’ original documents, leading to failed verification. Examples included a participant with only a high school diploma being recorded as having a D3 diploma, and another with a D3 diploma being recorded as having a bachelor’s degree.

In June 2026, the West Lombok Regency Government cancelled plans to lay off the 31 workers after preparing several resolution schemes. Assistant III of the West Lombok Regional Secretariat, Fauzan Husniadi, clarified that there was no intention from the local government to unilaterally cancel their employment or neglect them, but that the process was purely hindered by a national-level data locking restriction. He explained that the BKDPSDM had coordinated with the relevant regional apparatus organisations to formulate strategic steps. Technical personnel would be accommodated through an outsourcing mechanism, teachers would be empowered through the School Operational Assistance (BOS) funding scheme, and health workers and technical staff in the health sector would be transferred to become employees of the Regional Public Service Agency (BLUD).