PDIP Refuses to Deliberate NTB's Amended 2026 Regional Budget
Deliberations of the Draft Regional Regulation (Raperda) on Amendments to the Regional Budget (APBD) of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province for Fiscal Year 2026 at the NTB Regional Representative Council (DPRD) plenary session were marked by political dynamism. Two factions in the DPRD NTB, the United Restoration Struggle (PPR) Faction and the Gerindra Party Faction, raised a series of concerns regarding the Financial Memorandum submitted by the NTB Provincial Government.
PPR Faction member Abdul Rahim, also known as Bram, asserted that the 2026 Amended APBD must not be viewed as a mere formality of adjusting figures on paper. According to Bram, the regional budget must be oriented towards tangible results felt by the public.
“The APBD is not merely numbers, but a form of political commitment, prioritisation, and quality of implementation whose results must be directly felt by the people,” Bram stated at the plenary session on Tuesday (15/9/2026).
The PPR Faction exposed several data irregularities in the 2026 Amended APBD. One of these related to the calculation of transfer spending, which was stated to have fallen by 39.16 per cent. In fact, mathematically, the decline from Rp 931 billion to Rp 882 billion was only around 5.26 per cent, or Rp 49 billion.
Bram asked the NTB Provincial Government to explain a discrepancy of Rp 50 billion in revenue targets between the TAPD document and the Financial Memorandum. Beyond that, the PPR Faction highlighted the Empowered Village Programme valued at Rp 300 million per village.
This programme, Bram continued, should be assessed not only on budget absorption, but on its tangible impact on job creation and poverty reduction. In addition to the Empowered Village Programme, earmarked funds amid a deficit of Rp 369 billion and the effectiveness of regionally owned enterprises (BUMD) also came under scrutiny.
Given these issues, four PDIP legislators from NTB — Abdul Rahim, Made Slamet, Raden Nuna Abriadi, and Suhaim — delivered a special political stance in the form of a minderheidsnota, or minority note of objection, thereby withdrawing from the deliberations.
According to Bram, this action would continue until an adequate explanation was provided by the NTB Provincial Government regarding the use of Unforeseen Expenditure (BTT) funds under Governor’s Regulation Number 06 of 2025, as well as a budget shift of Rp 76 billion in the 2025 fiscal year APBD.
“Remember, BTT is unforeseen expenditure, not expenditure without oversight. Therefore, if there is no concrete and detailed explanation, we certainly will not be responsible if there is any misuse,” Bram said.
He assured that the decision not to take part in the deliberations of the 2026 Amended APBD was an official stance, because a number of fundamental matters had not been explained at all. According to him, the public needs to know the true state of regional finances, including the allocation of BTT funds.
“Our faction is indeed a combined one. But four PDIP Perjuangan members are firmly refusing to take part at all. Meanwhile, the two members from the PPR faction, from NasDem and Perindo, may continue the deliberations,” Bram declared.
Gerindra Supports with Reservations
Unlike the PPR Faction, the Gerindra Party Faction stated that it accepted and supported the continuation of deliberations on the 2026 Amended APBD Raperda.
Sudirsah Sujanto, Chairman of the Gerindra Faction in the DPRD NTB, supported the regional expenditure allocation, which rose by Rp 319.02 billion. This budget was deemed well-targeted as it directly touches vital sectors for the public.
Despite accepting it, Gerindra NTB, he said, raised concerns about the surge in the Social Assistance (Bansos) allocation, which rose drastically from Rp 3.70 billion to Rp 40.02 billion.
“This increase must be accompanied by strict accuracy of recipient data and transparent oversight to ensure it does not miss its target,” Sudirsah asserted.
Gerindra, Sudirsah continued, also underlined the increase in Capital Expenditure of Rp 71.43 billion, as well as additional allocations in the education sector of Rp 39.32 billion and health of Rp 37.58 billion. On that basis, he requested that the optimisation of Own-Source Revenue (PAD) be pursued through digitalisation and efficiency, rather than by adding burdens on the public and businesses.
According to him, the increase in Regional Revenue of Rp 60.61 billion, with a jump in Own-Source Revenue (PAD) reaching Rp 97.22 billion, is concrete evidence of improving regional economic activity and public compliance levels.
“In principle, the increase in PAD is pursued through broadening the revenue base and improving compliance, not merely by increasing the burden on the public and the business community,” Sudirsah said.
Sudirsah also commended the NTB Provincial Government’s commitment to directly allocating a budget for post-disaster recovery at the cultural site of Sade Village, Central Lombok.
“We appreciate the concrete and measurable steps taken by the NTB Provincial Government in planning the recovery, rehabilitation, and advancement of the Sade Village cultural site, which is a proud regional heritage,” he concluded.