Scraping the Remains of Village Funds
The Indonesian government slashed village funds by as much as 70 percent to finance red-and-white village cooperatives.
A 26-by-14-meter concrete frame sits on land owned by Tepi Laut village in Air Napal subdistrict, North Bengkulu Regency. Piles of bricks, excavated earth, and abandoned construction materials border the site, bearing only the black roof as a hint of its original purpose. The structure was intended to be a multipurpose community hall, but progress has been halted due to dwindling village funds.
According to Zakaria, Chief of Tepi Laut village, the project began last year but has stalled after the village coffers were reduced. The budget cut went from Rp670 million (around US$37,600) in 2025 to just Rp251 million (US$14,000) in the current year. "The project is only 65 percent complete," Zakaria explained on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
Zakaria offered the site to several parties interested in constructing a red-and-white village cooperative. The location is strategic, situated next to the village chief's office and along the main road connecting North Bengkulu Regency with Mukomuko Regency in Bengkulu. However, the offer was rejected due to the structure not meeting the standard cost estimates for a cooperative building.
The village funds cuts have impacted various plans, including an agricultural hub road, a well-drilling project, and streetlights installation, all of which have been abandoned. The road leading to residents' plantations is in poor condition and frequently causes accidents. Faced with this issue, Zakaria encouraged residents to repair the road themselves through communal work, stating that the road's state had become "untenable."
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
