West Lombok DPRD Slams Local Government Over Collapsed Bridge, Calls Budget Planning 'Misguided'

The West Lombok Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) has criticised the West Lombok Regency Government’s (Pemkab) budget planning after a tourist vehicle plunged into the Cemare Bridge in Lembar Selatan Village due to rotting wooden planks. Legislators view the incident as proof that basic infrastructure development is not yet a priority for the local government.

Commission III member Lalu Irwansyah assessed that the West Lombok Regency Government is weak in setting budget priorities. He argued the government prioritises secondary projects over the urgent needs of the community. “The budgeting mindset that prioritises secondary projects over basic and urgent needs is what we consider backwards,” he asserted on Tuesday (7/7/2026).

Irwan cited the planned land acquisition for the construction of an Islamic Centre and a road in the Gerung capital area, which he claimed was forced into the budget. He noted that completing the land acquisition process by the end of the year was unrealistic. During budget discussions in late 2025, Irwan said he had suggested the government allocate only around IDR 200 million for an independent land appraisal process. “Because it is highly unlikely that land acquisition can be completed in three months, but the local government insisted the process could be executed,” he stated.

However, Irwan revealed that the land acquisition process has not even reached the appraisal stage. The West Lombok Regency Government is said to have only completed the socialisation phase, resulting in the approximately IDR 81 billion budget remaining unabsorbed and becoming a Surplus Budget Calculation (Silpa). “The reality is that the budget could not be executed; the process only went as far as socialisation. This means the local government could not resolve the issue for land execution,” he said.

He argued the budget should have been reallocated from the start for basic infrastructure development so that the benefits would be felt more directly by the public. “Imagine if the local government had only budgeted for the appraisal, and then the tens of billions in budget were allocated to build infrastructure. I think the Cemare Bridge would already be in good condition. Other roads would be good, our community health centres would be good,” he remarked.

According to Irwan, the IDR 81 billion Silpa is not a form of Creative Financing as often claimed by the West Lombok Regency Government, but rather a sign of suboptimal planning. “But the local government’s mindset is not like that; their reason is Creative Financing, but what we see is suboptimal planning,” he stressed.

Previously, a tourist vehicle fell through a wooden bridge while heading to Cemare Beach in Lembar Selatan Village, Lembar District, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). Residents have urged the West Lombok Regency Government to immediately repair the wooden bridge, as its condition has been concerning for a long time. Cemare Hamlet Head Munawir revealed that the front tyre of a Daihatsu Gran Max vehicle plunged into a gap in the broken wooden bridge on Sunday (5/7/2026). Munawir said the accident occurred because the wooden planks were already rotten. “Because the wood has long been rotten and is impacted by the passing vehicles,” Munawir stated on Monday (6/7/2026).