Home Affairs Minister Urges Ministries to Accelerate Budget Approval for Sumatra Post-Disaster Rehabilitation

Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian, in his capacity as head of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra, is urging ministries and agencies to speed up budget approvals so that various issues in affected areas can be promptly addressed. “There are four that I consider super-priority, which I ask the Finance Minister to approve as quickly as possible because the relevant ministries and agencies have already submitted their proposals,” Tito said in a statement in Jakarta on Monday. He made the remarks after meeting Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa at the Ministry of Finance office. Tito explained that the post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction effort in Sumatra has a master plan requiring a budget of Rp100.1 trillion through to 2028. The government has also disbursed additional Regional Transfer Funds amounting to Rp10.6 trillion directly to regional governments in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra to accelerate the recovery of infrastructure and public services. The seven institutions involved include the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Statistics Indonesia, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Ministry of Health. During the meeting, Tito requested that four budget proposals still awaiting approval be processed immediately. These cover the Ministry of Agriculture for the restoration of rice fields and plantations, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries for the rehabilitation of fishponds, the Ministry of Religious Affairs for the repair of Islamic boarding schools, madrasas, and places of worship, and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to assist in the recovery of affected businesses. He added that several ministries have already begun work using refocused regular budgets, but accelerated disbursement of additional funds remains necessary to optimise recovery. “Once the funds are transferred, I, as head of the task force, will be able to push for faster rehabilitation and reconstruction,” he said. Tito stressed that the task force will continue to monitor implementation on the ground and urged ministries, agencies, and regional governments to actively communicate programme progress to the public, “so that the rehabilitation and reconstruction is truly visible to the community.”