Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad.

progresifjaya.co.id, JAKARTA – The atmosphere at the Sumatera Post-Disaster Recovery Task Force Coordination Meeting at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, suddenly became tense when Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, raised his voice to question Minister of Finance, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, about the certainty of disaster response budget sources in Sumatera.

In the meeting held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Sufmi Dasco, using a high-pitched tone, requested a detailed explanation from Minister Purbaya regarding the request for emergency response funds from the Ministry of Public Works (PU), which was submitted for the next several years under a multi-year scheme.

Sufmi Dasco stated, that he detected a discrepancy between actual needs on the ground and planning approval at the central level.

Sufmi Dasco continued, explaining that some of the budget proposals had already received approval from Bappenas. However, several other components had not yet received the green light.

“At the Ministry of Public Works, which i heard earlier, there was a multi-year request for emergency response funds, which have been approved by Bappenas. But some have not yet been approved,” explained Sufmi Dasco, his voice rising in pitch.

He emphasized, that the lack of clarity regarding this approval has the potential to hinder the acceleration of post-disaster infrastructure recovery in several affected areas of Sumatera.

He also stated, that in emergency situations, funding certainty is key to ensuring that the rehabilitation and reconstruction process is not hampered by administrative issues.

Sufmi Dasco asked Finance Minister Purbaya to provide a clear answer as to whether the government guarantees the availability of funds for emergency response and medium-term recovery needs.

This question also touches on crucial aspects of state financial management, especially in the context of disasters that require both a rapid response and sustainable planning.

In response, Minister Purbaya stated, that the government, in principle, supports efforts to accelerate recovery in Sumatera.

However, he continued, every budget proposal must still go through an integrated planning mechanism and take into account national fiscal capacity.

Furthermore, the government must also maintain a balance between urgent needs and fiscal discipline.

The tension finally eased after the meeting chair requested that the discussion focus on concrete solutions and expedited technical coordination.

Even so, Sufmi Dasco’s crescendo in his questioning of Minister Purbaya still meant that the certainty of the disaster recovery budget also related to the urgency of the state’s presence among communities struggling to recover from the impact of the disaster.

Post-disaster recovery in several areas of Sumatera includes repairing road and bridge infrastructure, normalizing rivers, rehabilitating public facilities, and supporting local economic recovery.

Without clear and sustainable budget certainty, it’s understandable that there will be concerns that these efforts could falter. (Bembo)