House Member Highlights Criteria for Housing Aid Recipients

The Chairman of Commission V of the House of Representatives, Lasarus, stated that commission members are paying close attention to the readiness criteria for recipients of housing assistance. He understands that this is the government’s authority. Therefore, there needs to be a technical arrangement that can be set out through a Ministerial Regulation or Ministerial Decree. Lasarus made the statement during a working meeting with the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas. However, the meeting was postponed because Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas Maruarar Sirait, who was scheduled to attend, was suddenly summoned by President Prabowo Subianto to the State Palace. Furthermore, Lasarus said that Commission V, which oversees infrastructure, is highlighting the accuracy of targeting in the liveable housing assistance programme. According to him, the determination of aid recipients should be based on data of poor families living in uninhabitable houses. He drew an analogy with a house whose roof and ceiling are damaged but still has ceramic floor tiles. In such a condition, Lasarus said, the government should not use the floor condition as a reason to delay assistance. ‘Even if the floor is made of gold, if the roof is gone, the house is still uninhabitable,’ he said. Lasarus also stressed the importance of internal supervision so that the distribution of aid complies with regulations. He said the formulation of recipient criteria needs to consider accountability to avoid problems during future audits. On the same occasion, Secretary General of the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas Didyk Choiroel conveyed the minister’s apology to the leadership and members of Commission V. Didyk said that the government is striving to simplify various regulations in the implementation of housing programmes without neglecting targeting accuracy or the principle of accountability.