Singkawang City Secures 4,000 Subsidised Homes This Year

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Singkawang City in West Kalimantan Province has been confirmed to receive 4,000 subsidised housing units this year. The commitment was asserted by the government through cross-agency collaboration to widen housing access for low-income communities (MBR) while boosting rural livelihoods. This was stated by Housing and Settlement Areas Minister Maruarar Sirait, known as Ara, at the Collaboration on the Housing Financing and People’s Economic Empowerment Program between the Ministry of PKP, BP Tapera, BNI, SMF, and PNM in Singkawang on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. In his remarks, Ara praised all parties for committing to accelerate the realisation of subsidised housing, especially for MBR. He stressed the importance of synergy between housing programmes and strengthening the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector, including Mekaar women’s groups under PNM. Ara targets 4,000 new subsidised housing units for Singkawang, a figure that even exceeds the local government’s request. “We must not convert rice fields into houses. We will safeguard food security, but housing for the people must proceed,” he insisted. He also highlighted the need for sound licensing governance and protection of productive agricultural land to ensure housing programmes remain aligned with the food security agenda. In addition to landed houses, the PKP Ministry is preparing a new subsidised housing scheme in the form of high-rise flats. One project being developed is in the Meikarta area, planned as Indonesia’s largest subsidised flat project with a total of 141,000 units. “In the last five years, the state could finance only around 200 subsidised flats. With this new scheme, we aim to accelerate the equitable distribution of vertical housing for the people,” Ara explained. Cross-agency collaboration is also being strengthened through banking sector synergy. On that occasion, Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) conducted outreach on the People’s Business Credit (KUR) for Singkawang MSMEs. Ara praised BNI’s move to conduct outreach and process administration on-site at the event. “I’m pleased that the outreach is being conducted directly in the field. There is education inside; on the outside, there is direct administrative processing. It means BNI works quickly, efficiently, and is on the side of the people. Moreover, the interest rate is subsidised by 5 percent; this is an extraordinary programme,” he said.