State and Regional Budgets Must be Effectively Used, President Jokowi Says

President Jokowi opens the 2024 National Development Planning Conference (Musrenbangnas) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Jakarta, Monday (05/06) (PR of Cabinet Secretariat/Rahmat)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo called on heads of ministries/institutions and heads of regional governments to ensure that budgets allocated for the national development are used effectively.

“We must be careful in managing every Rupiah of our budget. We establish a National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN), a National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), and the Government Work Plan (RKP) every year. However, the plans have yet to be in line with our bigger picture. Therefore, synchronization plays a key role,” the President said during the opening of the 2024 National Development Planning Conference (Musrenbangnas) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on Monday (05/06).

President Jokowi underscored that regional governments must share responsibilities with the Central Government in completing government projects in their respective regions.

“[For example] in building ports, ports are built by the Ministry of Transportation. On the other hand, the roads leading to these ports spanning only 4 km or 5 km that should be built by the regional governments, have not been constructed. This is indeed an example of disharmony. Everything must be in line with our RPJPN, RPJMN, and RKP. All ministries and regional governments must be in line,” the President asserted.

On that occasion, the Head of State reminded all heads of ministries and institutions to entrust development projects to regional governments that are committed and prepared to complete them thoroughly. Therefore, synchronization between the Regional Secretariat and the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) is vital in regional development planning.

President Jokowi also ordered regional heads who could not complete these projects to seek assistance from the Central Government while underscoring that development projects connecting regional roads and productive centers can be done through the Presidential Instruction on Regional Roads scheme.

“Last year, Rp14.6 trillion was spent on repairing damaged regional roads. Another Rp15 trillion was allocated this year to build roads that potentially bring economic returns. Don’t let roads only be used for daily purposes; there should be roads for logistics and roads connecting productive centers for agriculture and plantations; those will bring productivity and create economic returns,” the President added.

Furthermore, President Jokowi encouraged regional governments to utilize water flow from dams built by the Government for people’s needs while underscoring that the Government will prepare a Presidential Instruction (Inpres) to assist in developing water pipelines channeling to households.

“I earlier told Head of the National Development Planning Agency that a new Presidential Instruction will be prepared to develop drinking water pipelines channeling to households,” the President said adding that the Central Government also needs cooperation from regional governments so that [the infrastructures] that have been built can really be productive because people really need them.  (TGH/ABD) (AP/RAS/MMB)