Home Ownership Becomes Measure of Regional Leaders' Success

KOMPAS.com - Indonesian Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Muhammad Tito Karnavian emphasised that the growing number of people who own decent housing is one of the measures of regional leaders’ success in governing their areas. Accordingly, he stressed the importance of regional leaders supporting the 3 Juta Rumah programme initiated by President Prabowo Subianto. He conveyed this at the event Sosialisasi Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR) Perumahan, Sosialisasi Rumah Subsidi, PT Permodalan Nasional Madani, and PT Sarana Multigriya Finansial Melawan Rentenir at the Office of Singkawang City Hall, West Kalimantan (Kalbar), on Tuesday (3/3/2026). He stated that leadership of regional heads is not only measured by administrative aspects but also by their ability to raise the standard of living of the people. Indicators of improvement include declines in poverty and stunting, improvements in the Human Development Index (IPM), and an increasing number of residents who own or occupy decent housing. ‘If the regional head cannot ensure that their people have homes, the number of people without homes will rise, that is the regional head’s failure,’ Tito said in a written statement received by Kompas.com. He explained that housing remains a major national challenge because tens of millions of people still do not own homes or live in inadequate housing. Therefore, the central government has given serious attention to the housing sector through various policies and financing breakthroughs. Tito outlined that these efforts target not only the construction of new homes but also the upgrading of substandard housing. He believes that housing development has a wide multiplier effect on the economy, spanning the banking sector, the building materials industry, transport, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). On the occasion, Tito also praised local governments for adopting policies waiving the Bea Perolehan Hak atas Tanah dan Bangunan (BPHTB) tax and building permit (PBG) charges for low-income households (MBR). He noted that these policies can reduce development costs, making housing more affordable. Tito also urged Kalbar’s regional authorities to continue improving the implementation of housing policies.