Jakarta. Housing Minister Maruarar Sirait has introduced an unconventional strategy to help meet the target of building 3 million houses for low-income families, by planning to use land seized from corruption convicts.

Speaking to reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday, Maruarar said his plan has the support of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), which is tasked with recovering state assets lost to corruption.

He noted that the AGO has agreed to provide at least 200 hectares of land in Banten.

“The attorney general showed his support by committing 1,000 hectares of land and recently confirmed the availability of 200 hectares in Banten confiscated from corruption cases,” Maruarar said.

The minister himself has donated 2.5 hectares of his personal property in Tangerang Regency to support the government’s public housing program, and he called on Indonesian philanthropists to follow suit.

The donated land will be used to build 250 small homes, which will be distributed for free to selected recipients.

“I’m doing my best by identifying obstacles and gathering support,” Maruarar said when asked about his policies to meet the housing target.

He added that the overall approach involves promoting “mutual assistance” among all stakeholders to reach the target.

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