Transparency in DTSEN Validation Seen as Key to Poverty Data Accuracy
The Deputy Speaker of the MPR RI, Lestari Moerdijat, stated that the gap between the state’s ambition to achieve accurate population data and the risk of citizens losing access to aid during system updates must be addressed. According to her, this situation requires a response through transparency and the effectiveness of the validation process.
“Transparency and the effectiveness of the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSEN) validation process are the primary keys to bridging the gap between the state’s ambition to realise accurate population data and the impact experienced by the community,” she said in a statement on Thursday (10/09/2026).
The controversy surrounding the updating of the DTSEN, which has caused significant changes in community welfare decile rankings, has impacted the rights of poor and vulnerable citizens regarding social protection programmes.
She emphasised that the data validation process within the implementation of the DTSEN system and the decile mechanism should serve as an instrument for equitable welfare in national development.
She acknowledged that the government has established the DTSEN as the primary database for various social protection programmes, covering 95.3 million families and 289.3 million individuals in Indonesia.
However, there remain various public complaints from those living in genuine hardship who have been placed in higher deciles, thereby losing access to social assistance.
She assessed that the data validation mechanism conducted by the government, sourced from several relevant ministries and agencies, must be carried out with measurable steps so that the impact of the validation process does not sacrifice the rights of the people.
In addressing this gap, the government has opened a dispute mechanism for the public through the Cek Bansos and SIKS-NG (Social Welfare Information System Next Generation) applications.
Through these applications, citizens can check their decile status and submit objections if the data does not reflect their actual conditions.
This process requires easy access to the applications provided by the government and proactive participation from the public in reporting inaccurate data.
Therefore, massive and easy-to-understand socialisation is needed so that the wider community can check and evaluate their status.
“Because every development policy must have clear targets, be based on measurable data, and be able to be evaluated openly so that the results can prosper all Indonesian people,” she concluded.