Grant Funds Under KPK Scrutiny, NTB Governor Asserts No Budget Manipulation Will Occur
The Governor of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, has responded to the general views of the PPP Faction of the NTB Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) regarding the management of cash grant funds within the ‘Pokok-Pokok Pikiran’ (Pokir) programme in the NTB DPRD.
Iqbal emphasised that the local government is not abolishing grant allocations, but is instead improving governance in accordance with the results of evaluations and coordination with the Corruption Eradability Commission (KPK). On this basis, Iqbal intends to reform grant management to ensure it is free from potential conflicts of interest and corrupt practices.
“The management of grants must be carried out based on measurable needs, regional financial capacity, and development priorities, as well as being free from conflicts of interest and corrupt practices,” said Iqbal during the Plenary Session at the NTB DPRD regarding the Governor’s Explanation of the 2026 Revised Regional Budget (APBD) Financial Note, on Wednesday (16/09/2026).
Iqbal stated that there is a crucial point agreed upon with the KPK regarding the mechanism for proposing grant funds. Moving forward, he said, grants will no longer be allocated through the DPRD’s Pokir budget, which directly designates recipients.
“In accordance with the agreement with the KPK, cash grants will not be accommodated through Pokir, but through a grant mechanism in accordance with the regulations. The public can still propose grants through official mechanisms to be subsequently verified by regional agencies,” he explained.
On the other hand, regarding proposals for physical assistance for religious facilities such as mosques, prayer rooms, churches, and temples, Iqbal revealed strict limitations from the KPK. Assistance for places of worship must refer to Law Number 23 of 2014, and the scheme for religious cash grants is directed towards non-physical activities.
Consequently, the NTB Provincial Government is assured that it will not attempt to circumvent or find budget loopholes to accommodate physical construction that violates the regulations.
“We will not circumvent the regulations by merely changing the name or form of the budget so that physical construction that does not meet the grant criteria can still be funded,” Iqbal asserted.
Nevertheless, Iqbal stated that the public should not fear a lack of grant assistance from the NTB Provincial Government. For the physical needs of places of worship or urgent programmes, mapping and verification will still be conducted.
“If it falls within the affairs and authority of the local government, the budget can be accommodated directly through the activity programmes of the relevant regional agencies, rather than through grant or social assistance schemes,” he emphasised.
Furthermore, Iqbal continued, social assistance cannot be used as a substitute for grants. This is because social assistance has its own specific purposes and criteria, namely to protect the community from social risks.
In addition to the issue of grants, Governor Iqbal ensured that all input and suggestions presented by the PPP Faction—ranging from disaster mitigation, the clean water crisis in Kuta Mandalika, the evaluation of experts, to the handling of subsidised fuel and the acceleration of the 2026 Basic Regional Budget realisation—have been carefully noted.
“Therefore, all this input will serve as the primary guideline in the preparation of the 2026 Revised Regional Budget as well as future governance,” he concluded.