Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) said the implementation of budget cuts to ministries and state agencies is discriminatory.
The government appears to neglect people's rights, especially those who were victims of human rights violations and people with disabilities, said KontraS coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya.
"This budget cut reflects the government's discriminatory neglect of the principle of progressive realization," Dimas said in a press conference on Monday, February 17, 2025.
Dimas illustrated the discriminatory nature by citing KontraS' findings of budget cuts on the National Human Rights Commission, the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), the National Commission on Violence Against Women, and the National Commission on Disability.
"The most significant is experienced by the National Commission on Disability, with a 91 percent budget cut," he said. The budget allocation for the National Commission on Disability this year was originally valued at Rp5.6 billion, but the government reduced its budget to Rp500 million.
Commissioner of the National Commission on Disability, Kikin Purnawirawan Tarigan, stated that the major allocation for its budget is spent on official travel to carry out monitoring, evaluation, and advocacy tasks in honoring, protecting, and fulfilling the rights of persons with disabilities.
He is concerned that the budget cut will not only hinder the process of monitoring, evaluation, and advocacy, but also the organizational regeneration of the National Commission on Disability, as the leadership of the 2020-2024 period is ending.
Dimas Bagus Arya stated that the government's budget cut demonstrates its disregard for persons with disabilities who should rightfully benefit from the state.
On the other hand, he said that the budget for the Ministry of Defense and the DPR did not experience any cuts from the government. In fact, the Army Headquarters plans to increase the number of Military Area Commands (Kodam).
KontraS also found budget allocation for military operations other than war reaching Rp42 billion."This marks a policy that tends to be militaristic without considering the principle of public welfare," he said.
– Cheta Nilawaty contributed to the writing of this article.