Viral Request Letter for Year-End Allowance from RW Chief in Kalideres: I Was Simply Continuing Tradition
Jakarta — A request letter for year-end allowance (THR) contributions from the neighbourhood administrator (RW) in Kamal Village, Kalideres, West Jakarta, addressed to several companies, has gone viral on social media and sparked public controversy.
The letter attracted public scrutiny because it specified donation amounts ranging from Rp500,000 (approximately £24), Rp300,000, to Rp200,000. The request was issued by a single neighbourhood unit, RW 09 Kamal Village.
Another irregularity highlighted by the public was the existence of several letters with varying amounts bearing the names of various officials, including the RW chief, deputy RW chief, security officer, commander, and RW civil defence leader.
Wijaya, the newly appointed RW chief who has served for only several months, explained that he is replacing his predecessor who has passed away. He stated that the proposal format and inclusion of various official titles in the letters follow the format previously used by the earlier administration.
“Regarding the year-end allowance matter, I was simply continuing what the late chief’s administration had done. The proposal format is the same. As for the names ABCD, RW, deputy, it was already done that way during the late chief’s tenure, so I just continued it,” Wijaya explained when contacted by Kompas.com on Tuesday (10 March 2026).
He confessed to being confused because he was merely continuing a practice that had been in place for years in the neighbourhood. According to him, several companies in the area were already accustomed to receiving similar proposals.
“It has been like this for a long time. The factories already know about it,” Wijaya said.
He claimed that all money collected from companies would be pooled together to purchase Eid hampers, which would then be distributed to those who assist in neighbourhood operations.
“There’s no connection to which RW or deputy. I combine everything to purchase year-end hampers for my staff — the neighbourhood heads and their teams, and also the neighbourhood cleaning staff,” he explained.
According to Wijaya, the request for year-end allowance contributions from companies was necessary because the RW administration did not have a dedicated budget for providing allowances to neighbourhood officials.
“Whatever money I collect, I buy hampers directly — cloth, biscuits, oil, rice, and that sort of thing. Then we distribute them among the neighbourhood heads and their teams. The cleaning staff also receive them,” he added.
“I didn’t change or add anything to the old letter format. The companies also don’t have to meet those specifications. It varies. Not all companies give that exact amount,” he said.
Wijaya stated that the proposals have recently been distributed to several factories in the RW 09 area, noting that the year-end allowance funds from companies have not yet been fully collected.
Recognising that the controversy has caused public concern, Wijaya promised to evaluate the year-end allowance request system to prevent misunderstandings.
“If companies think this method is too cumbersome, perhaps we can try to tidy it up. For example, we could consolidate into a single letter. I could also communicate directly with the companies,” Wijaya concluded.