Desil Controversy, DPR Pushes for Data Improvement and Complaint Mechanism

Indonesian legislators are calling for urgent improvements to the accuracy of data and the complaint process used for social welfare programs. The accuracy of welfare data is critical for determining eligibility for government assistance, and errors in the "desil" system, which classifies citizens by their welfare level, risk misclassifying individuals whose economic situations have changed.

Aria Bima, Deputy Speaker of Commission II of the DPR (House of Representatives), highlighted the controversy surrounding the desil system, which has generated public complaints. He stated that the growing negative sentiment on social media reflects a loss of public trust in the government's social protection system. "The figure of 6,310 talks with a negative sentiment of almost 44 percent is not just social media noise; it is a reflection of citizens' disbelief in the system that is said to be built to protect them," Bima said.

Bima explained that desil represents a relative position within the national welfare distribution and does not definitively label someone as rich or poor. However, he acknowledged that data accuracy remains an issue, as updates often fail to keep pace with rapid changes in people's economic conditions, such as job losses.

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The figure of 6,310 talks with a negative sentiment of almost 44 percent is not just social media noise; it is a reflection of citizens' disbelief in the system that is said to be built to protect them.

To address these concerns, Bima urged the government to establish a simple and accessible complaint mechanism. This would allow citizens to correct their desil classification if it does not reflect their current circumstances. He also stressed the importance of local governments in the verification process, as they are closer to the community's socio-economic realities. "Data may be the basis for policy, but administrative errors should not rob citizens of their right to social protection. That is a non-negotiable principle," Bima asserted.

He further advised the government against hastily revoking energy subsidies based on desil data before accuracy issues are resolved. Policy implementation, he noted, must include correction mechanisms to account for changes in citizens' economic status. The effective use of data for distributing aid and subsidies requires not only measurable data but also a robust system for addressing errors and ensuring fairness.

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Data may be the basis for policy, but administrative errors should not rob citizens of their right to social protection. That is a non-negotiable principle.