Home Affairs Minister Urges Regional Governments to Immediately Realise Additional TKD for Post-Disaster Response in Sumatra

KOMPAS.com - The Home Affairs Minister (Mendagri) and Chair of the Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Acceleration Task Force (PRR) for Sumatra, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, has urged the affected regional governments in Sumatra to promptly realise the additional TKD transfers for post-disaster response. He stressed that the government has channelled an additional TKD of Rp 10.6 trillion to the affected regions, namely Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. These steps were taken in line with President Prabowo’s directive to speed up disaster response and support mitigation efforts in the regions. Therefore, local governments are urged to use the funds for targeted purposes and not divert them to activities unrelated to disaster response. He made the statement while chairing the hybrid Coordinating Meeting (Rakor) of the PRR Pasca-Disaster Sumatra Task Force from the PRR Command Post, the Central Office of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) in Jakarta, on Thursday. He said the use of the additional TKD should be focused on rehabilitation, mitigation, and disaster anticipation activities. The affected regions are being asked to use the funds to repair damaged infrastructure, address potential landslides, strengthen river embankments, and accelerate the restoration of public services. ‘Do not use it for purposes far removed from disaster response, or for activities with no relation whatsoever to disasters,’ Tito insisted. During the meeting, he outlined the results of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ monitoring of progress in the use of the additional TKD in the affected areas. Tito praised several local governments that have prepared activity plans and enacted a Regional Head Regulation (Perkada) as the basis for budget use. He also flagged some areas that have not yet prepared a utilisation plan or issued Perkada. ‘For those who have completed their plans and have already gone through the formalities, please proceed with execution and realisation. We will monitor from the Task Force,’ Tito said. He disclosed that the central government provides flexibility to regional heads so that budget use can be accelerated without lengthy consultations with the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD). As such, disaster response will not be hampered by administrative procedures. ‘I’ve taken a stand—once again—with the DPRD so that it doesn’t need to be discussed; it should suffice to rely on the discretionary policy of the regional head,’ Tito said.