RW Head in Kalideres Defends THR Requests to Businesses, Says He Is Continuing Predecessor's Practice
JAKARTA – The head of RW 09, Kamal Village, Kalideres, West Jakarta, Wijaya Kusuma, has spoken out regarding the controversy surrounding letters requesting Holiday Allowance (THR) contributions from several companies in his jurisdiction.
Wijaya stated that he was merely continuing an old practice that had been carried out since the previous RW administration.
“Regarding the THR matter, I am simply continuing what the previous RW head did. The proposal format is the same as well. Regarding the names ABCD, RW, deputy – that’s how it was done back in the previous administration, so I just carried it on,” Wijaya said when contacted on Tuesday (10 March 2026).
The public has also scrutinised several letters bearing different names of officials, ranging from RW head, Deputy RW head, Security and Order official, Section leader, to Civil Defence coordinator.
Wijaya claimed he did not change the proposal format that had been used for a long time. He also mentioned that several companies in the area were already accustomed to receiving such proposals.
“It has been like this for a long time; we already know the factories well,” he said.
Wijaya denied that the money from companies was used for the personal interests of RW officials.
“There is no connection between which RW official or deputy – no. I consolidate all the money and buy gifts for the THR distribution to my people, the RTs and their staff, as well as the environmental workers,” Wijaya explained.
He stated that the RW administration does not have a special budget to provide THR to environmental officers.
“Whatever money I receive, I immediately use it to buy gifts – cloth, biscuits, oil, rice, things like that. These are then distributed to the RTs and their staff, three of them in total. The environmental workers also receive them,” he said.
Regarding the amounts of Rp500,000, Rp300,000, and Rp200,000 mentioned in the viral letters, Wijaya acknowledged that these figures came from an old draft that was reused.
“I didn’t reduce or increase the old letter; I used it as is. Companies don’t have to meet those exact amounts. It varies; not all companies give that much,” he said.
Wijaya added that the proposal has only recently been distributed to several companies in the RW 09 area and not all funds have been collected yet.
He pledged to evaluate the THR request system to prevent further controversy within the community.
“If the companies think this method is excessive, perhaps we will try to streamline it – maybe consolidate it into one letter. I can also directly communicate with the companies,” he said.