Home Affairs Ministry Prepares Rewards for High-Performing Regions
The Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) is preparing rewards for high-performing local governments. These rewards will be drawn from the ministry’s 2026 budget of Rp 7.8 trillion.
“I believe that giving awards is not sufficient with just trophies or plaques. Therefore, we will take from the 2026 budget to be used as rewards for the regions,” said Minister of Home Affairs Muhammad Tito Karnavian, at the Appreciation Night for Local Government Performance 2025.
Categories will be diverse, and rewards will be given to provincial, regency, and city governments. Categories could relate to issues such as stunting, economic growth, poverty, and others. “We are also open if there are ideas on what should be competed among the regions.”
According to Tito, being selected to receive appreciation is no easy feat. This is because provincial governments must compete with 38 other provinces, city-level ones against 98 other cities, and regency-level against 416 competing regencies. “Honestly, it’s not easy.”
Tito hopes that all regions can excel, especially since Indonesia is a large country. “Therefore, efforts cannot be limited to the central government alone but must involve collaboration and contributions from all regions.”
Head of the National Policy Strategy Agency at Kemendagri, Yusharto Huntoyungo, stated that to encourage sustainable improvements in local government performance quality, Kemendagri has established a strategic policy in the form of performance appreciation for local governments as an instrument to strengthen local governance based on performance and outcomes.
“This policy is not only intended as a form of recognition but also as a comprehensive evaluation mechanism to ensure that every policy and programme implemented by local governments truly delivers real impacts for society,” he said.
Kemendagri, he continued, has been conducting the High-Performing Local Government Appreciation activities since February 2026, starting with discussions on assessment instruments. This was followed by presentations by nominated regional heads and field validation involving experts/media as observers in April 2026.
In the same month, a plenary meeting was held to discuss field validation results with the Minister of Home Affairs and the issuance of the Minister’s Decree (SK) for award winners and recipients of government assistance (banper) for the 2026 Fiscal Year. Meanwhile, the award presentation events in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku, Sulawesi, Papua, Java, and Bali will be held in April and May 2026.