Tito Karnavian Reveals Reasons for Absence at DPR Meeting

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has explained the reasons for his frequent absences from working meetings with DPR Commission II, which oversees domestic governance, land affairs, and state apparatus empowerment. Tito provided this explanation during an open working meeting with Commission II held at the Parliamentary Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday, 30 March 2026.

Tito stated that his absence from five consecutive meetings with the DPR was not intentional. He reasoned that there were other pressing events at the time. “It was in no way meant to disrespect or undervalue Commission II of the DPR,” Tito told the attending DPR members.

The former Chief of the Indonesian National Police explained that on several occasions, meetings with Commission II coincided with invitations from President Prabowo Subianto. He noted that these invitations could not be missed as only a few ministers were involved.

“Commission meetings often coincide with presidential events that I must attend, for example, the people’s school in Bekasi, where the role of the Home Affairs Ministry is very important, and only a few ministers were invited, besides the Minister of Basic Education because the Home Affairs Ministry also plays a role in the People’s School,” he said.

Additionally, Tito mentioned his busy schedule as Head of the Sumatra Disaster Response Task Force. He admitted that in recent months, he has often been in disaster-affected areas. According to him, invitations to Commission II meetings often arrive just two days before the event, while he was in the middle of the forest at the time.

“At that time, I was almost certainly spending 3-4 days a week travelling around Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra,” he said.

Previously, when opening the meeting, Commission II Chairman Rifqinizamy Karsayuda raised the issue of Tito Karnavian’s absence from DPR meetings. “I am the one who most often raises the absence of the Home Affairs Minister, and every time I mention it, within five minutes, several media outlets report on the Home Affairs Minister,” Rifqi said.

He stated that he did not intend to discredit Tito. His questions were purely to find out the reasons behind Tito’s absences. “I was just expressing a longing that is hard to articulate,” he said.