Home Affairs Ministry urges regional governments not to be complacent despite controlled inflation

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Secretary General (Sekjen) of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri), Tomsi Tohir, has urged regional governments (pemda) as well as related ministries and agencies not to be complacent or self-satisfied, even though national inflation in April 2026 remains controlled. According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), national inflation in April 2026 on a year-on-year (yoy) basis is controlled at 2.42 percent. This figure is still in line with the government’s target of 1.5 to 3.5 percent, which is deemed beneficial for both consumers and producers. He reminded all parties to continue efforts to keep commodity prices controlled in accordance with the highest retail price (HET). “We must still strive to keep it just slightly above the HET and fight to control it, yes. This is our basic principle that we must uphold firmly,” said Tomsi during the “Regional Inflation Control Coordination Meeting” held in a hybrid format from the Kemendagri Building, Jakarta, on Tuesday. Tomsi advised each region to pay close attention to inflation figures in their areas. He requested regions with inflation rates above the national average to immediately take control measures. “Once again, I ask all regional heads and their teams, especially the TPID (regional inflation control team), not just to attend meetings, but to really go down to the field,” he stated. He also drew attention to several commodities affecting the price development index (IPH) in the fifth week of April 2026, such as cooking oil, shallots, granulated sugar, red chillies, and rice. In fact, he said, the number of regions experiencing price increases in cooking oil rose to 240 districts/cities in the fifth week of April 2026. Previously, the number of regions with cooking oil price increases in the fourth week of April 2026 was 224 districts/cities. On the other hand, he asked ministries/agencies and regional governments to pay attention to every price increase, no matter how small the amount. “This is our obligation to address it, so even a rise of 100 rupiah should not happen. Especially for commodities regulated by the government,” said Tomsi. The meeting was attended in person by several speakers, including Acting Deputy II of the Presidential Chief of Staff, Popy Rufaidah, Director of Price Statistics at BPS, Sarpono, and Head of the Food Data and Information Centre at the National Food Agency (Bapanas), Kelik Budiana.