Gov’t Denies Plan to Give Free Smartphones for Aid Transfer
Jakarta. The government has denied ever planning to give away free smartphones for cash aid transfers, despite a close presidential aide claiming so.
Hashim Djojohadikusumo, also known as President Prabowo Subianto’s younger brother, recently claimed that the government was planning to distribute free smartphones equipped with digital bank accounts to facilitate the aid rollouts.
“No, there is no such thing. We have never discussed such a plan of giving free handphones,” Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto told the press in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Even so, a mass bank account opening plan is in the pipeline. The government wants every citizen to automatically have a bank account once they turn 17 years old. The government is still ironing out the regulatory details before deciding on the date of the rollout, although Airlangga has said it would likely be in effect this fourth quarter.
“We are still drafting the regulation,” Airlangga said.
The government has partnered with the state-owned Bank BRI and the sharia bank BSI to take part in the program. Indonesia has earmarked Rp 3.8 trillion ($211.4 million) for the bank rollout.
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