Political Tensions Rise as Tapanuli Tengah Regent Faces Impeachment Threat

Political tensions have intensified in Tapanuli Tengah, North Sumatra, where five parties in the regional legislature are considering a move to impeach Regent Masinton Pasaribu. The parties are NasDem, Golkar, Gerindra, PAN and PKB.

Their spokesman, Hazmi Arif Simatupang, said the parties believed local government administration was not operating optimally and that budget management was unprofessional. He said they were considering using the regional legislature to pursue impeachment over alleged budget irregularities.

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This is because of the many alleged budget irregularities. We are also discussing and considering taking political action through the Tapanuli Tengah Regional Legislature, up to the level of impeaching Regent Masinton Pasaribu.

Hazmi said information obtained by the parties showed that only about 30% of Tapanuli Tengah’s 2026 regional budget had been spent by August. He described the figure as a serious and worrying issue, warning that low budget absorption could delay development programs and public services. He also said the regional budget team and several government agencies had been summoned and warned by the Home Affairs Ministry.

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Based on the information we have received, absorption of the Tapanuli Tengah regional budget for the 2026 fiscal year had reached only around 30% by August. This is a serious and deeply concerning matter.

The parties also criticized the local government’s handling of flooding in Tapanuli Tengah. They said the response had been slow and that aid had not reached victims adequately, with residents complaining that distribution remained poor.

The five parties called on the government to implement legislative recommendations concerning flood assistance and scholarships allocated through the regional budget. Hazmi also raised the position of the local PDI-P faction, which did not support the aid recommendation, noting that the party’s local branch is led by Pasaribu, who is also the regent.

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There are still many residents complaining about the distribution of flood aid. Some protests have even emerged because the aid was considered not to have been distributed properly.