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COVID-19: Government calls for regional budgets to be reallocated to fight pandemic

Source
Jakarta Post - April 14, 2020

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has urged local administrations to reallocate their respective regional budgets (APBD) to fund the ongoing COVID-19 mitigation efforts as the central government scrambles to slow the spread of the deadly disease across the archipelago.

"I've gathered that the budgets in several regions [have yet to be adjusted]. I ask that the home minister and finance minister call them out," Jokowi said in a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

He noted that 103 regions had yet to prepare any social safety net programs to help cushion the blow for those most financially impacted by the public health emergency. In total, 140 regions have yet to issue any policies designed to dull the economic impact of the global pandemic, while 34 other regions have not reported their latest budgets, he said.

"It means that some of us have not properly responded [...] to this abnormal situation," Jokowi said, adding that he expected the central government and local administrations to see eye-to-eye in regard to the current health crisis.

Separately, Home Ministry spokesperson Bahtiar said around Rp 55 trillion (US$3.48 billion) in the APBDs had been reallocated for COVID-19 mitigation as of Sunday. The ministry has called on other regions to report their budgets, as the budget reallocation period mandated by the ministry and the Finance Ministry had been extended by to two weeks.

"A total of around Rp 55 trillion had been reallocated by several provinces, regencies and cities for health services, financial reserves and social safety net programs. We expect the number to continue to increase as COVID-19 mitigation requires commitment and sufficient funding from regional administrations," Bahtiar said in a statement on Tuesday.

Jokowi has previously issued a decree on budget reallocations and "refocusing" toward COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

The decree stipulates that ministers, agency heads, governors, regents and mayors must prioritize spending for mitigation efforts in accordance with protocols established by the COVID-19 task force.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/04/14/covid-19-govt-calls-for-regional-budgets-to-be-reallocated-to-fight-pandemic.html

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