Budget Politicization Should Not Hinder Community Economic Development |

The budget politicization that has occurred in Indonesia has caused delays in the realization of strategic programs that are detrimental to the community. Many urgent programs such as in the fields of health, education, and economic infrastructure cannot be implemented.

In the Province of Aceh, for example. Until entering the first week of May 2025 or the second quarter of the budget year, there has been no clarity on the realization of the Aceh Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBA) for 2025. The Aceh Government and the Aceh DPR are expected to accelerate the realization process considering their central role as the pulse of the regional economy.

The pressure came, among others, from the Coordinator of the Aceh Transparency Society (MaTA), Alfian Husein. He criticized the slow realization of the budget which had an impact on the economy in districts and cities that were indeed very dependent on the APBA because the private sector could not yet be relied on.

MaTA encouraged the Governor and Deputy Governor of Aceh to immediately sit down with the heads of the Aceh Work Units (SKPA) to accelerate the budget and development realization process. One example highlighted by MaTA is the Housing and Settlement Agency (Perkim) which has just announced the construction of 1,000 of the planned 2,000 poor housing units. MaTA considers this to be unserious, both in terms of information transparency and program governance.

The delay in budget realization strengthens the signal that there is budget politicization in the realization of the APBA, especially regarding the main programs or pokir for the benefit of certain individuals as conveyed by Alfian to the media crew.

The existence of a delay that cannot be proven logically indicates budget politicization. It is logical that there is pressure for the Governor of Aceh, Muzakir Manaf, to review the pokir budget so that it is in line with the vision and mission. The pair Muzakir Manaf and Fadhdlullah who received a mandate from the people of Aceh, must dare to reject budget allocations that are contrary to public needs, but only the interests of certain individuals and groups.

The existence of budget politicians can be detected from several indications, such as the balancing of budget allocations between electoral districts without being based on technocratic considerations. Then there is the dominance of certain factions forcing programs that benefit their groups. Many programs that are entrusted suddenly appear without going through a technical planning mechanism, for example through musrembang.

The delay in the realization of the APBA could also be due to the tug-of-war of interests between the executive and legislative. The tug-of-war of interests requires behind-the-scenes political lobbying that has the potential for abuse of authority.

Regardless of whether or not there is budget politicization, the people of Aceh are waiting for the budget realization so that several strategic programs can be implemented. Many strategic programs that are indeed needed by the community, such as economic infrastructure, health, and education, must become victims because of the delay in the realization of the APBA, whatever the underlying reason.[]