Viral Confrontation Between Free Homecoming Scheme Participants and Port Officials at Kayangan Harbour
The free homecoming scheme provided by the West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government (NTB) was marred by an altercation at Kayangan Harbour in East Lombok, with a video of the confrontation between officials and returnees going viral on social media.
Arif Rizal Muhaimin, a free homecoming scheme participant from Bima Regency, stated that the altercation began when he and his group questioned the conduct of officials, whom they felt were delaying the departure of free homecoming buses. According to him, officials from the Transportation Department (Dishub) had instead prioritised regular commercial buses boarding the ferry.
“Other buses were allowed to board the ferry first, whilst these free buses were not boarding the vessel. This prompted our questions as a group on the free bus, leading all of us to disembark and ask the officials present at the harbour,” Arif told detikBali on Saturday, 14 March 2026.
Arif explained that the free homecoming bus departed from the Governor’s Official Residence at approximately 09:00 Western Indonesian Time and arrived at Kayangan Harbour at around 12:00 Western Indonesian Time. However, his bus had not been loaded onto the ferry despite waiting for four hours.
He stated that the free homecoming bus had not been loaded because the ferry crossing fees had allegedly not been paid. He obtained this information from Dishub officials stationed at the harbour.
“According to the Dishub officials at Kayangan Harbour, they said the crossing fees for the free bus we were travelling on had not been transferred by the provincial government. I recorded this; there is video evidence,” Arif concluded.
Currently, Arif and his group have boarded the ferry. He hopes the incident will serve as a learning point for the NTB Provincial Government to ensure that homecoming services are provided equitably.
“There needs to be equal treatment between us using the free homecoming bus and other paid homecoming passengers. In reality, this is not free; it is paid for by the provincial government using our tax money. We hope there will be an evaluation so that incidents like this do not happen again,” Arif said.
PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry Denies Discrimination
Meanwhile, the General Manager of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry’s Kayangan Branch, Erlisetya Wahyudi, stated that vehicle loading procedures are carried out based on arrival order whilst considering operational density.
“Vehicle loading procedures are carried out based on the order of vehicle arrival in the harbour area whilst taking into account the operational density conditions at that time. In its implementation, there is no discriminatory treatment against vehicle types or service users, including free homecoming scheme participants,” said Erli.
He emphasised that the company is committed to providing fair, orderly, and safe services for all service users, particularly during the high-traffic Eid transport period.
“We are committed to providing the best service, comfort, and safety to all service users, especially during this Eid transport period, which has quite high traffic flow,” Erli added.