House renovations in border areas embody developmental justice

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) and Head of the National Border Management Agency (BNPP), Tito Karnavian, has stressed that the programme to improve the quality of substandard housing (RTLH) in 3T areas (disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost) and border regions is a concrete manifestation of the government’s efforts to bring developmental justice to communities in those areas.

“One of the tasks of the BNPP and the government is to bring justice to border communities,” said Tito during a press conference on the 15,000 Substandard Housing Quality Improvement Programme (RTLH) in Border Areas, at the BNPP Office in Jakarta on Thursday.

He explained that the Self-Help Housing Stimulus Assistance (BSPS) programme, or house renovation, will be implemented in 17 provinces and 40 regencies/cities in border areas, targeting 15,000 substandard housing units.

Tito revealed that this house renovation programme is designed to truly address the needs of communities in those regions.

“It is also to improve the welfare of border communities so that they feel proud of the nation, proud of the government, and nationalism will grow stronger,” he stated.

Furthermore, Tito assessed that enhancing the welfare of communities in border areas also has strategic implications for strengthening national resilience.

“And that becomes a good ‘buffer zone’ (supporting area) if all these border regions are more prosperous and affluent, with the people proud to be part of the Indonesian nation, then insyaallah this will certainly be beneficial for Indonesia’s defence system against foreign infiltration,” said Tito.