Jakarta (ANTARA) – Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar has called for an accelerated shift in the government’s poverty alleviation strategy by strengthening community empowerment programs as a key instrument to help poor families increase their incomes and escape poverty.
“Social assistance and empowerment must go hand in hand. We must protect those who need it, and for those who already have the capacity to grow, they must immediately be encouraged to become empowered,” Muhaimin said while chairing a ministerial-level meeting in Jakarta on Thursday.
According to the minister, the current challenge in poverty alleviation is not only to ensure that assistance reaches people who need it, but also to ensure that more families have pathways toward self-reliance.
He noted that social protection and empowerment should not be treated as separate approaches.
The families with the capacity to progress should be directed toward programs that provide access to employment, business opportunities, skills development, and higher incomes.
Therefore, the government needs to ensure that various empowerment programs do not operate independently, but instead share the same direction and targets in alleviating poverty.
He expected the assistance program could also focus on empowerment, thus people have incomes that can improve their livelihoods.
The issue that needs to be addressed, says Muhaimin, is the lack of optimal coordination among empowerment programs.
He calls on related ministries and institutions to map and integrate the empowerment programs, and ensure the assistance is tailored to the needs of each family.
Muhaimin also said the accuracy of the National Single Social and Economic Data (DTSEN) is important to determine social assistance recipients, identify those who need empowerment, and determine the most appropriate forms of intervention.
The minister said empowerment must be directed toward increasing incomes and expanding access to employment.
He mentioned several empowerment programs such as basic training, job creation, labor-intensive employment, business coaching, access to financing, and access to markets to give concrete pathways to improve people’s welfare.
Related news: Minister pushes for integrated ecosystem to tackle poverty
Related news: Indonesian govt expands MSME support, poverty alleviation programs
Related news: Muhaimin says extreme poverty drops significantly this year
Translator: Bayu Prasetyo
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2026