Thousands of PD BKK Klaten Depositors Lodge Complaint with the Indonesian DPR

Representatives of the depositors of PD BKK Klaten, a regional government-owned credit institution, who are members of the Forum Solidaritas Korban PD BKK Klaten, met with Soedeson Tandra, a member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the Golkar faction, in Jakarta on Friday, 22 May 2026. The depositors sought the DPR’s help to resolve issues over savings that have not been paid out since the operation of PD BKK Klaten was formally halted about a year earlier. In June 2025, the Central Java Provincial Government and Klaten Regency, as shareholders, decided to halt operations of PD BKK Klaten. The closure was reportedly carried out without adequate notification to depositors, leaving thousands of residents with savings in accounts or time deposits puzzled when attempting to withdraw their funds. “In essence, we represent the depositors of PD BKK Klaten who number 6,854 people. Today we are asking for assistance through Mr Tandra to help settle the depositors’ rights. The losses amount to around Rp152 billion,” said Muhammad Nuryadin Edy Purnama, coordinator of the Forum Solidaritas Korban PD BKK Klaten in Jakarta, on Friday, 22 May 2026. According to Edy, although operations were declared closed in June 2025, the bank is said to have continued accepting deposits from customers until the cash balance in the treasury was reported to be low. The depositors have pursued various avenues, from meetings with the regent, the regional council (DPRD), the district attorney (Kejari), and the Governor of Central Java, but results have been inconclusive for a range of reasons. In response to the complaint, Soedeson Tandra emphasised that the state must be present and responsible for the people’s money. “They want the state to be responsible for the money they have saved with the state. Who else can they trust if not the state?” he said. Tandra urged the regent and Klaten Regency DPRD to seek concrete solutions promptly under the existing legal framework. He argued that regulatory obstacles should be overcome if there is political will from local government. “I urge the regent and Klaten Regency DPRD to facilitate helping the people by allocating funds through a Perda (Local Regulation). There is no need to discuss the legal umbrella; the legal umbrella is straightforward. The funds could be released procedurally via Perda,” he added. As a follow-up, Tandra said he has been in contact with the Head of Civil and State Administration Law (Kasi Datun) at the Klaten District Attorney’s Office to oversee the case. He also plans to raise this aspiration at an official Commission III meeting to attract national attention. “We have agreed to escalate this problem to a national level because it involves thousands of victims and a very large sum,” he said. He lamented any framing that places the state solely as a presser and the people as victims without agency. The government must consider the needs of workers with the private sector playing a role as providers of employment.