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DPR reprimands Human Rights Minister for sudden budget proposal
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Elections & Politics

DPR reprimands Human Rights Minister for sudden budget proposal

From CNN Indonesia · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Commission XIII reprimanded Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai for suddenly proposing an additional budget of Rp492.9 billion during a meeting.
  • Commission Chairman Willy Aditya questioned the timing of the proposal, emphasizing that budget requests should be submitted before meetings.
  • While supporting the portion for human rights enforcement, the commission rejected the management support portion of the additional budget.

Indonesian lawmakers on Commission XIII of the House of Representatives (DPR) publicly criticized Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai for unexpectedly proposing a supplementary budget of Rp492.9 billion during a committee meeting. The incident occurred on Wednesday at the DPR Complex in Senayan, Jakarta.

Commission Chairman Willy Aditya expressed his dissatisfaction with the minister's approach. "We have asked for good intentions. Why was it only submitted during the meeting? How can we discuss it? The intention is good, we appreciate it. Don't let a drop of milk spoil the whole pot," Aditya stated, referencing a local proverb.

Minister Pigai had requested the additional funds from the indicative ceiling of Rp728 billion for the Ministry of Human Rights in the 2027 State Budget Draft. He proposed allocating Rp224.9 billion for human rights enforcement and Rp267.9 billion for management support.

We have asked for good intentions. Why was it only submitted during the meeting? How can we discuss it? The intention is good, we appreciate it. Don't let a drop of milk spoil the whole pot.

— Willy AdityaChairman of DPR Commission XIII, questioning the late submission of the budget proposal.

Commission XIII agreed to support the portion designated for advancing and enforcing human rights but rejected the allocation for management support. "For the additional program for the promotion and enforcement of human rights, we approve, but for management support, we do not approve. So, a middle ground is that. Agreed?" Willy asked.

However, Rieke Diah Pitaloka, a commission member from the PDIP faction, voiced concerns about the composition of the proposed additional budget. She noted that a significant portion, 54.4% or Rp267.9 billion, was earmarked for management support, while only 45.6% or Rp224.9 billion was for human rights programs. Pitaloka suggested this imbalance might stem from the ministry being in a transitional phase under Pigai's leadership.

For the additional program for the promotion and enforcement of human rights, we approve, but for management support, we do not approve. So, a middle ground is that. Agreed?

— Willy AdityaExplaining the commission's decision on the budget proposal.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNN Indonesia in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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