Chaotic cash social assistance, DTKS not integrated optimally

Last updated on May 7th, 2021 at 07:32 am

Carenang Udik Village Office, Kopo District, Serang Regency, Banten, was attacked by dozens of residents who did not get cash social assistance (BST) on Friday, May 15 around 10:00 WIB. Residents damaged and even burned objects in the village office.

The incident was allegedly triggered by the chaotic distribution of cash social assistance for residents affected by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) of Rp 600,000.

Residents accused the distribution of BST in the middle of Covid-19 was unfair and uneven. In fact, in one village, only 53 heads of households (KK) have received assistance since it was distributed since May 14, 2020.

“The community asked (to the village apparatus) the BST recipient’s data from where it was taken. Because many people who were able to get assistance. The community also asked the parties involved in the distribution of aid so that it was right on target, the people who really needed it,” said the Police Chief of Serang, AKBP Mariyono as quoted by CNN Indonesia, Friday, May 15.

The police along with the TNI immediately stood guard at the scene, in order to avoid recurring events. The public was advised to be calm and be able to ask about the process of data collection and distribution of the Ministry of Social Affairs BST of Rp. 600 thousand through procedures and in good terms.

The conditions in the Carenang Udik Village office, Kopo District, Serang Regency, Banten, were considered to be conducive. Tens of residents, the majority were moms, had returned to their homes.

On the other hand, public policy observer Agus Pambagio said one of the ministries or institutions had to make integrated community data suitable to be recipients of social assistance. According to him, without integrated data, the problem of distribution of social assistance will never be finished.

Agus said the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, or the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) could become the integrated data makers.

“Without a data integrator whose name is a matter of assistance, both cash and non-cash will never be sorted out,” Agus said in an online discussion on Friday, May 15.

Agus said the distribution of social assistance by the government to residents affected by the Covid-19 pandemic used the latest data verified in 2015. In fact, the most recent data was needed in the distribution of social assistance.

Meanwhile, Director General of Social Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Social Affairs Harry Hikmat said, in the provision of social assistance for residents affected by Covid-19, it was not only based on the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS).

According to him, social assistance was also given to residents who were included in the ‘new poor’ category and were not included in the government’s DTKS. Harry said the chaotic data of the poor when distributing social assistance this time could be the first step in compiling data on poor people, both old and ‘new poor’ due to the coronavirus pandemic.