Indonesia's government is ramping up its social assistance initiatives as part of its commitment to support vulnerable populations. According to POSKOTA.CO.ID, the distribution of funds under the Family Hope Program (Program Keluarga Harapan, PKH) is currently underway, and is expected to continue until the end of 2024. Beneficiaries include families with young children or expecting mothers, each receiving IDR 500,000 as part of the assistance program.
The PKH funds are distributed through various state-owned banks, including BRI, BNI, Bank Syariah Indonesia, and Bank Mandiri. These disbursements are conducted in phases, with many beneficiaries advised to remain patient as the funds continue to be transferred throughout the year-end period. The social assistance program reflects the government's larger strategy to bolster financial support during challenging economic times.
On the other hand, significant changes are making headlines within the governmental framework. A policy move from President Prabowo Subianto has resulted in increased performance allowances (tunjangan kinerja, Tukin) for several government agencies, including the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), and the National Library (Perpusnas). This decision, outlined in Presidential Regulation No. 24 of 2024, which was enacted on December 16, 2024, reflects the government’s acknowledgment of the progressive need to align salary structures with organizational achievements and bureaucratic reforms.
The new structure indicates the head of BNPB will now receive 150% of the highest performance allowance within the agency, reinforcing the government’s commitment to recognizing hard work within public services. Specific classifications of employees are also addressed, stipulating exclusions for those on non-affiliated roles, on extended leave, or nearing retirement.
Further demonstrating the commitment to government transparency and efficiency, IDN reported on the recent evaluation meeting held by the Class IIB Detention Center (Rutan) of Bangkalan, which participated in reviewing the performance metrics for the second semester of the 2024 budget year. The event took place at Hotel Wyndham, Surabaya, aiming to assess the accountability and transparency of budget expenditures among various working units under the East Java Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
The head of Rutan Bangkalan, Ario Galih Maduseno, emphasized the importance of teamwork and dedication during the meeting, which included speeches from various officials. Notably, Rutan Bangkalan earned the prestigious First Place Award for its Budget Expenditure Realization Report in the Medium Allocation category. Galih expressed pride over this accomplishment, stating, “This award is concrete evidence of the hard work and commitment of the entire Rutan Bangkalan team to support information transparency and public accountability.”
These steps taken by the Indonesian government not only aim to bolster support for vulnerable communities and improve public service worker performance but also seek to advance transparency and efficiency within government operational frameworks. The combined efforts reflect broader goals to provide equitable resources and establish benchmarks for performance across agencies.
