NTT Earthquake: DPD Chairman Urges Budget Injection for Affected Regions

DPD RI Chairman Sultan Bachtiar Najamudin has welcomed the government’s decision to strengthen disaster emergency funds through the Transfer to Regions (TKD) allocation. According to him, the additional budget is important for regions currently facing disasters.

“As a nation, we should be grateful that next year’s state budget will reach around 4,000 trillion Rupiah. There is considerable fiscal space to strengthen growth as well as national economic equity down to the most remote regions,” Sultan told journalists while attending the 81st Independence Day ceremony at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday (17/8/2026).

Sultan urged that the proportion of central and regional government spending be arranged so that it delivers a tangible impact on public welfare. According to him, regions hit by disasters need emergency budget support.

“So regions currently being struck by natural disasters need to be given emergency disaster budget injections. Regions such as NTT are areas with commodity potential that has not yet been optimised, yet they face a fairly high risk of natural disasters,” he explained.

“This certainly creates problems for regional governments in increasing regional revenue. Therefore, proportional TKD support is important for the regions concerned,” he added.

Sultan also praised the NTT provincial government’s swift move to declare a disaster emergency status. According to him, that decision has enabled faster and more coordinated earthquake handling.

Sultan asked regional governments to continue coordinating with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and the central government. According to him, coordination is needed to ensure data on victims and damage caused by the earthquake.

“We appreciate the government’s serious efforts in handling the NTT earthquake quickly and carefully. All logistical aid has been sent for distribution to communities still sheltering in evacuation tents,” he stressed.

He said DPD RI has coordinated with all DPD RI members from NTT. Currently, four NTT senators are conducting direct inspections in the affected regions.