Together with Interior Minister Tito Karnavian and Acting Jakarta Governor Teguh Setyabudi, Housing Minister Maruarar “Ara” Sirait visited Rusun Pasar Rumput in South Jakarta last Monday, which has been inactive since being used as an isolation center in the peak period. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

Ara called on the Jakarta administration, which runs the apartment complex, to reopen the nearly 2,000-unit complex to provide a year of free housing for low-income people.

Currently, about 400 units are occupied by victims of the Manggarai fire that occurred on August 13 and affected about 4,000 people in 21 neighborhood units (RTs) in the sub-district of Tebet.

“It is very sad to know that (thousands of apartments have been empty) for two years, which shows how bad housing management is in the country,” Ara said, as quoted by Kompas.comadding that it is ironic that many Jakartans do not have access to affordable housing.

Read also: Prabowo plans to build, renovate 3 million homes annually

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Ara promised to find “a creative way” to make idle housing accessible to all, especially the disadvantaged, as part of the ministry’s efforts to fulfill President Prabowo Subianto’s campaign promise to provide 3 million homes annually.