RW Chairman in Kalideres Claims THR Request to Companies for Environmental Manager Gifts

JAKARTA — The chairman of RW 09 Kamal Village, Kalideres, West Jakarta, Wijaya Kusuma, has addressed the viral controversy surrounding his letter requesting year-end bonuses (THR) from several companies in his neighbourhood.

He claims that all collected THR funds are not used for personal benefit but rather to purchase gifts for environmental managers. Funds obtained from companies will be consolidated.

“There is no connection whatsoever to what the RW chairman gets, deputy gets, nothing. I combine everything, I am going to buy gifts for my people’s THR, the RT and their staff, and also the PPSU,” Wijaya said when confirmed by Kompas.com on Tuesday (10 March 2026).

The gifts will be distributed to parties deemed to have assisted in local environmental operations.

“Basically when I get all the money, I immediately buy gifts, there is cloth, biscuits, oil, rice, something like that. Then it is distributed, divided among the RT and their staff of three people, like that. And also for the PPSU,” he said.

Wijaya explained that he is a newly appointed RW chairman who has served only several months, replacing the previous chairman who has passed away.

He claimed to be merely continuing an old tradition, including the format of the THR request proposal already used by the previous administration.

“So regarding the THR matter, I am continuing from the late RW chairman. And the proposal format I also continue. Regarding the names ABCD, RW, deputy, that was already the case during the late chairman’s time, so I am continuing it like that,” Wijaya explained.

“It has been like this since long ago, we are already familiar with the factories actually,” he said.

Regarding the amounts of Rp500,000, Rp300,000, and Rp200,000 listed in the letter, Wijaya stated that these figures came from the old letter draft and he did not change them at all.

Despite this, he emphasised that his office did not force these amounts on the companies.

“So for me the letter is as it was from the start, I did not reduce it, did not increase it. Companies also do not have to meet that requirement, they do not. It varies, not all companies give that amount, they do not,” he said.

Currently, the THR request proposal has just started being circulated to various factories in the RW 09 area. According to Wijaya, funds from companies have not yet been collected.