Strengthening Synergy, Musa Rajekshah Warns of the Risk of Slums Amid Bandung’s Development

PARLEMENTARIA, Bandung — Member of the House of Representatives’ Commission V Musa Rajekshah is urging the government and developers to strengthen their cooperation in building residential areas integrated with basic infrastructure. Providing decent housing, he said, cannot focus solely on constructing homes; it must also include drainage, public facilities, environmental management and sustainable spatial planning.

“Developers must not simply build housing in areas with high profit potential without ensuring that supporting infrastructure is developed as well,” Musa said during a specific working visit by the House of Representatives’ Commission V to the Summarecon Bandung residential area in Bandung, West Java, on Friday (13/11/2026).

He stressed the importance of clearly dividing responsibilities between the government and developers. Infrastructure within residential areas must be integrated with development systems outside them so that problems such as flooding, drainage and environmental management can be addressed from the outset.

He also reminded the government of its responsibility to build and maintain supporting infrastructure outside residential areas. This is crucial to preserving the quality of communities’ living environments and preventing them from deteriorating into slums.

“People must not buy homes only for the surrounding area to become unfit to live in because adequate infrastructure was not built and maintained. We must prevent this to ensure that housing development is truly sustainable,” he stressed.

Musa also highlighted the importance of certainty in regional spatial planning. He urged the government to consistently preserve residential areas for their designated use under regional spatial plans (RTRW), so that changes in land use do not harm people who have already bought homes.

Regarding land-acquisition issues often raised by developers, he said the burden should not fall entirely on the government. Developers, as business operators, must also have long-term business plans and be able to identify opportunities for development that align with government plans.

Therefore, he emphasized the need for synergy, with developers identifying the potential of areas based on government infrastructure plans, such as road construction and public facilities. This would enable housing development to move in step with regional development plans.

“This is not solely the government’s responsibility. Developers must also identify business opportunities and consider how they align with the government’s future development plans. The government and developers must work together,” Musa explained.

In closing, he hoped that national housing development would focus not only on meeting targets for the number of homes built, but also on environmental quality and the sustainability of residential areas. The availability of decent housing must go hand in hand with adequate infrastructure and oversight of land use.

“Decent housing is a basic need. That is why housing development must be planned comprehensively, from the homes themselves to supporting infrastructure and environmental sustainability. We hope the public will truly benefit from this development—not only when homes are built and sold, but in the years that follow,” he concluded. (rni/um)