TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Maruarar Sirait has raised the allocation of subsidized homes for journalists to 3,000 units, up from the previous 1,000 units designated for this profession.
"But I have one request: Even though subsidized houses are being provided, this is not a bribe. Please report the truth, not just what sounds appealing," Ara stated in his speech at the Handover of Key Program for Media Industry Employees, held at the Grand Harmoni Cibitung Complex, Bekasi Regency, West Java, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid supported this initiative, noting that while there are around 100,000 journalists in Indonesia, 70 percent of them lack adequate housing.
The government’s decision to increase the subsidized housing quota for journalists comes amid opposition from several journalist organizations, including the Indonesian Journalists Alliance (AJI), the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI), and the Indonesian Photojournalists Association (PFI).
PFI Chairman Reno Esnir stated that the subsidized housing program specifically for journalists has no relation to journalistic duties.
"Providing special access to journalists to obtain subsidized housing programs will give a bad impression on the journalism profession," Reno said in an official statement on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
Chairwoman of AJI Nany Afrida acknowledged that journalists, like all citizens, need housing. However, she emphasized that housing should be available to everyone, regardless of profession, and that housing credit requirements should apply to all citizens equally.
Nany also pointed out that providing housing to journalists from the government could create the public perception that journalists have lost their critical stance.
"This program should be discontinued. Let our colleagues obtain credit through normal channels such as Tapera or banks," she said.
If the government wants to improve journalists' welfare, according to Nany, the government should ensure that media companies comply with labor laws, including ensuring a minimum wage for journalists, improving the media ecosystem, and respecting journalists' work.
"If journalist wages are decent, then housing loans can be easily fulfilled," she said.
Labor affairs observer from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Tadjudin Noer Effendi also said that the key to the welfare of citizens, including journalists, is the availability of jobs and fair wages.
Journalists do have the right to affordable housing. However, according to Tadjudin, the government's policy of creating a special subsidized housing program for journalists needs to be carefully considered.
This is because journalists who take part in the subsidized housing program still bear the burden of installments.
Meanwhile, economic uncertainty and layoffs in the media industry still occur. "If there are obstacles along the way and they cannot continue paying the installments, and the house is taken over, what then? Meanwhile, the money that has been paid cannot be returned," Tadjudin said when contacted by Tempo, Tuesday, April 6, 2025.
Therefore, Tadjudin said that the government should first pay attention to fair wage policies. He stated that the government is still relying on minimum wage policies.
"If the government wants to prosper the people, then the wages should be decent," Tadjudin said. When the wages of workers including journalists are decent, there is no need for specific subsidized housing programs for certain professions."
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