Home Affairs Minister Tito Encourages Regional Leaders to Utilise the 3 Million Homes Programme

Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian has invited regional leaders to utilise the 3 million homes programme as an opportunity to help communities obtain decent housing while also addressing housing problems in their regions. According to Tito, the programme, initiated by President Prabowo Subianto, is a strategic step to improve the welfare of the people, so regional governments need to take an active role in its implementation. This was conveyed at the Coordination Meeting for Accelerating Housing and Settlement Development at the Ministry of Home Affairs office, Jakarta, Wednesday (25/2). “This actually helps fellow regional leaders. Because one of the tasks of regional leaders is to improve the dignity of their people,” said Tito. He affirmed that the 3 million homes programme is a joint programme involving the central and regional governments, with the main goal of providing affordable housing access for the community, especially low-income people (MBR). To support the implementation of the programme, the Ministry of Home Affairs has encouraged policies to waive building permit fees (PBG) and land and building acquisition fees (BPHTB). This policy is expected to reduce construction costs so that house prices become more affordable. “So that the price of these houses is cheap (affordable for MBR). Developers sell cheaper by waiving PBG, BPHTB. But this PBG, BPHTB, must be regulated by a regional regulation. We have checked, the regional regulations are all in order,” said Tito. He said that the programme needs to be maximised by regional governments (Pemda) so that more people can benefit from it. Specifically, the steps that can be taken by the Pemda are to carry out massive socialisation of the programme. In addition, the Pemda can also optimise the existence of Public Service Malls (MPP) which contain PBG and BPHTB licensing services. “If you have this, it will help, those who have Public Service Malls. Because PBG, BPHTB, there is an outlet, it will be finished quickly. In fact, some can be completed in just one day or even a few minutes,” added the Home Affairs Minister. Conversely, regions whose MPPs are not yet optimal are considered to hinder the realisation of the 3 million homes programme. This is because people who will access the programme must go through a long and complicated licensing process so that its implementation does not run effectively. For this reason, Tito again encouraged regional leaders to make this programme a momentum to accelerate the provision of housing for people in their respective regions. “This is an opportunity for fellow regional leaders to solve housing problems in their respective regions. Both renovations or new construction,” he concluded. This meeting was also attended by the Minister of Housing and Settlement (PKP) Maruarar Sirait and his staff, Head of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti and his staff, BP Tapera Commissioner Heru Pudyo Nugroho, and other related parties. Also present were the Governors of North Sumatra Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution, Riau Islands Ansar Ahmad, Central Java Ahmad Luthfi, East Java Khofifah Indar Parawansa, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, Papua Mathius D. Fakhiri, and Deputy Governor of Aceh Fadhlullah. (inh)