Since 2012, Yogyakarta Province has maintained its special region status, with Law 13 of 2012 providing the region with special funding. Although this special funding is intended to help preserve Yogyakarta’s rich culture and history, as well as support the districts and cities within the region, a lack of budgeting transparency may tell a different story.
To begin, Yogyakarta’s budget is very centralized. In 2024, 76 percent of DIY’s special funding was allocated to the provincial government, while only 24 percent was distributed between the districts and cities. Of this 76 percent, 86 percent was allocated to “Customs, Art, Traditions, and Cultural Institutions.” Clearly, these factors are crucial to the preservation of Yogyakarta’s culture. However, while a major part of the budget is claimed to support and maintain cultural institutions, there is little transparency about what, or who, they are actually funding.
Given that over IDR 1 trillion from this fund was allocated to “cultural affairs” in 2024 alone, it is expected that how the money is being spent is transparent and clear-cut. However, from the data provided by the provincial government, there are many areas of uncertainty. For example, for the 2024 Yogyakarta Cultural Festival, funds were allocated for “event facilitation,” but further details were not given. Moreover, in the “Artist and Cultural Awards” sub-activity for the same event, the total budget disbursed was IDR 2.134 billion. However, there were not specific details regarding how much was given to each artist and group. We could assume that the award money was distributed evenly amongst all the artists and groups, but that is not necessarily realistic.
To support the welfare of arts and cultural actors, events of this nature should be able to be managed with a labor-intesive, independent model that guarantees transparency, participation, and accountability for all parties involved. Furthermore, there needs to be publications of the recipients’ self-managment, tenders, and/or how the arts/cultural actors receive support from the special funding. Finally, in order to maintain accountability and keep the public’s trust, it is of paramount importance that a clear, transparent report of how the special budget is allocated is made available on a consistent basis.
To see a summary of the analysis, you can read the following file below
Analyzed by: Ahmad Hedar (IDEA knowledge management manager)
English text by: Leila Omran (IDEA intern from Princeton, US)
English 
Bahasa Indonesia