Interior Minister Emphasises Regional Awards as Instruments to Showcase Real Performance of Regional Heads
Interior Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian stated that the holding of the 2026 Regional Kalimantan Appreciation Awards for Outstanding Regional Governments represents an effort by the Ministry of Home Affairs to showcase the real performance of outstanding regional heads. While not denying that some regional heads have negative records in local government administration, the Interior Minister assessed that many regional heads still demonstrate positive achievements.
“Do not let us generalise that all regional heads are bad. Tonight’s awards show that many regional heads are also good and accomplished,” the Interior Minister told the media after attending the 2026 Regional Kalimantan Outstanding Regional Government Appreciation Awards Night at the Platinum Hotel Ballroom in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Tuesday, 5 May 2026.
The awards were given in four categories, namely unemployment reduction, poverty alleviation and stunting reduction, entrepreneurial government/creative financing, and inflation control. The Interior Minister explained that these four categories reflect important issues in local government management.
“And the prizes, besides trophies, for first place are fiscal incentives as regulated in the law on finance amounting to three billion, second place two billion, third place one billion,” the Interior Minister revealed.
He explained that the budget comes from the Ministry of Home Affairs’ allocation. The awards event is also divided into six regional government areas, namely Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java-Bali, Maluku-Nusra (Maluku, North Maluku, NTT, NTB), and Papua.
In the event held in East Kalimantan province, the Ministry of Home Affairs collaborated with Tempo Media Group. He is confident that the entire judging mechanism is conducted objectively and professionally. Thus, the regions receiving the awards are those with good and positive performance.
On the same occasion, the Interior Minister also welcomed the proposal from the Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas (PKP) Maruarar Sirait to include award categories in the housing sector. According to him, these indicators reflect the region’s ability to address various social problems in society, such as poverty, unemployment, and economic growth.
“He has proposed that for the next wave, housing issues will be contested. And I consider that important because it relates to poverty, unemployment, economic growth, and so on,” the Interior Minister emphasised.