Hashim Warns Against Social Assistance Reaching Officials

Presidential Special Envoy for Climate and Energy Hashim Sujono Djojohadikusumo stressed the importance of ensuring that direct cash assistance (BLT) reaches the people entitled to receive it.

He also said that people who are not eligible must not receive government assistance.

“Social assistance must not end up in the hands of a director-general, the head of the Criminal Investigation Agency, Mr Hashim, Mr Anin or any of us who do not need it,” he said at the KADIN National Leadership Meeting at the Borobudur Hotel in Jakarta on Thursday (29 October 2026).

The government is therefore drawing up a plan to provide free bank accounts to Indonesian citizens aged 17.

“It has been decided that every citizen aged 17 will be given a free bank account,” he said.

The government is refining its mass free-account opening policy, which includes a budget of Rp1.28 trillion and an initial deposit of Rp50,000 for each account, for 25 million people.

The programme targets people aged over 17 in decile 1—the 10 per cent of the population with the lowest level of welfare. Recipient data will be based on the National Single Social and Economic Data (DTSEN).

The programme will involve state-owned PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (BRI) and PT Bank Syariah Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (BSI).

The one-person-one-account programme will go beyond simply opening accounts: the government will also encourage their use to make assistance distribution more effective.