Jakarta – The President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, conducted the inaugural meeting of the “Merah Putih” Cabinet at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (23/10). During the meeting, Prabowo elaborated on the reasons for establishing the Poverty Alleviation Acceleration Agency.
Prabowo emphasized that the agency was set up to address existing challenges promptly.
“I do not intend to meddle in the work of the ministries—my goal is to assist. Whenever there are obstacles or difficulties, we must address them immediately. Let’s admit it, our bureaucracy is known for being complex and slow,” Prabowo stated.
He further explained that the Poverty Alleviation Acceleration Agency’s role is to analyze and monitor all social protection programs and aid distribution to ensure they effectively reach the most vulnerable segments of society.
“This agency will analyze and oversee all social protection programs and aid to ensure they are targeted appropriately towards the groups in society that require assistance,” Prabowo added.
Prabowo appointed Budiman Sudjatmiko as the head of the Poverty Alleviation Acceleration Agency.
In a previous interview with journalists at the Merdeka Palace, Budiman disclosed that Prabowo had tasked him with significantly reducing poverty in Indonesia by 2024–2029.
“All issues related to poverty must be significantly reduced over the next five years, and that is the responsibility of the agency we are leading,” stated Budiman on Tuesday (22/10).
Budiman outlined that the agency will coordinate efforts for poverty alleviation across various ministries, including the Ministry of Villages, the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Communication and Information, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health.
Through this coordination, Budiman believes they will obtain accurate, objective, and dynamic data to guide their endeavors. (RR)
