Press Statement of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Opening the 2023 National Coordination Meeting on Disaster Management, at JIExpo Hall B1-B2, Central Jakarta, March 2, 2023
Reporter
Regarding your order to regional governments to allocate a budget for Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), how much do you think the budget must be allocated for that matter?
President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Regions with high risk of natural disasters should allocate a budget for it. It’s a must. How much will the budget be? I think each region can determine it. For instance, we know which regions with active volcanic eruption. If the region doesn’t have active volcano, there’s no need to prepare a budget for it. We also know regions that are vulnerable to earthquake, and so on. We know regions that often hit by floods; we know regions with no river. There must be a budget allocated [for disaster management] in regions that experience floods annually. How come there is no enough budget for it? No, all regions must allocate the budget. It is because climate change can potentially increase the frequency of disasters, and we must be aware of it. We must be able to mitigate it. All regions must prepare the budget.
Reporter
Have you accepted the resignation of Zainudin Amali, Sir?
President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
No, not yet. Up until now, Minister of State Secretary has not received the letter from Minister of Youth and Sports. It has yet to be sent.
Reporter
What about the successor? The candidates?
President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
We haven’t received the letter, let alone determining the successor.
(RAS/MMB)