"We (the government) are currently finalizing the data. Once the process is done, we will make the data public, revealing who deserves to receive assistance from the government," he remarked in Jakarta on Sunday.
He made the statement in connection with the possibility of the government providing aid to people belonging to the middle class affected by its value-added increase plan highlighted earlier by Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar.
Yusuf clarified that the government would refer to the data currently being prepared by Statistics Indonesia (BPS) to determine the list of citizens deserving social assistance.
"We should not make a decision based merely on our predictions. Instead, it is vital that we refer to data, which is currently being arranged by the BPS," he pointed out.
The minister then reiterated that his side would need to wait for the data to be ready first before taking possible further measures to assist the middle-class residents.
Each state institution has its own program oriented toward boosting people's welfare and slashing the poverty rate, he added.
On that note, Yusuf stated that the single, integrated data system being prepared by the BPS is expected to help the government synchronize its varied welfare programs.
Earlier on November 26, he highlighted that President Prabowo Subianto had pushed ministries and leaders of other state institutions to synchronize and transform the socioeconomic data managed by their offices into a single integrated data system by December 2024.
He elaborated that such a data system would also be used to distribute subsidies and social assistance more accurately next year.
"We understand that every piece of data is dynamic in nature. Every day, we may see deaths, births, and people experiencing economic promotion or demotion in society. This is the very dynamic that we will try to anticipate," he pointed out.
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Translator: Asep F, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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