Lombok Tengah KDKMP Project Foremen Demand Rp 4.5 Billion in Arrears, Kodim Commander Denies Funds Routed to Former Officials

LOMBOK TENGAH, KOMPAS.com - Several foremen involved in the construction of the Red and White Village/Subdistrict Cooperative (KDKMP) project, represented by I Nyoman Sudarmika Kusuma, have filed a complaint about unpaid project fees totaling Rp 4,597,637,000 that remain unsettled to this day.

The report was addressed to the Commander of Military Region IX Udayana dated August 20, 2026. It includes data identifying those who suffered losses or have yet to receive payments from the project coordinator for KDKMP development in the Lombok Tengah area, managed by Military District Command (Kodim) 1620 Lombok Tengah, which appointed their work partner or contractor named Tarjono.

Sudarmika explained that out of 63 KDKMP buildings constructed in Lombok Tengah, 28 units have been fully paid for. Meanwhile, the remaining 35 units have received, on average, only 34 percent of their payments.

"Check those 35 locations, they are definitely stalled. As foremen, we are trusted to manage labor and materials during the Red and White Cooperative construction, yet payments go through Kodim’s partner, Tarjono," Sudarmika said.

When 11 foremen requested payment for labor and material costs from Tarjono, he added, they were only given promises with no actual payment (opname).

They subsequently raised concerns about the payment opname to Kodim 1620 Lombok Tengah, the project owner of the KDKMP development.

"The explanation we received from Kodim was that the budget had been given to the partner, in this case Tarjono, far exceeding the actual progress on the ground," he said.

Payment opname refers to a term commonly used by contractors and foremen, describing payments made based on inspections, measurements, and physical calculations of the actual work progress completed on-site.

According to Sudarmika, daily physical progress reports on the KDKMP construction are submitted to Babinsa (village supervisory non-commissioned officer) at each location. From Kodim's explanation, payments for the project have been made 100 percent, even though work in the field has only reached 30 percent completion.

Allegations of Funds Flowing to Former Officials

Sudarmika said the foremen are confused. From unilateral statements by Tarjono to the foremen, some of the funds received from Kodim 1620 Lombok Tengah allegedly reached former Kodim officials totaling as much as Rp 10 billion.

"This is a unilateral admission by Tarjono as Kodim’s partner in the KDKMP construction. Any clarifications are supposedly due to pressure on Tarjono after meetings with a former Kodim Commander, initialed KR, at Korem," Sudarmika explained.

"Regarding all these issues, we demand responsibility from Kodim 1620 Lombok Tengah as the project owner to settle the opname invoices for labor and materials totaling Rp 4,597,637,000 (more than 4.59 billion rupiah)," he added.

Sudarmika himself is also one of the foremen working on the KDKMP project in Lombok Tengah. He told Kompas.com he started work on the KDKMP Renteng project in Praya from scratch.

However, until now, he claims he has not received a single payment. Yet, Tarjono reportedly claimed to other foremen that for projects with progress at just 34 percent as of July 13, 2026, Kodim had already paid 100 percent.

"We can no longer trust the payment promises because the partner has apparently run out of funds," he said.

He lamented Kodim Lombok Tengah’s choice of work partners, as payments made did not match the progress terms on-site.

"Please, do not let us, the foremen, and our teams become victims of this error. Because those funds never reached us," he said.

FITRI RACHMAWATI Letkol Arh Mohamad Arifin, Commander of Kodim 1620 Lombok Tengah, gives an explanation about the Lombok Tengah KDKMP project on Saturday (19/9/2026).

Dandim’s Clarification

In a separate interview, Letkol Arh Mohamad Arifin, Commander of Kodim 1620 Lombok Tengah, denied allegations that KDKMP project funds in Lombok Tengah flowed to former Kodim officials.

He said Tarjono had clarified these claims after meeting with the former official at Korem 162 Wira Bhakti in Mataram some time ago.

"Regarding this matter, it has been denied through a video clarification by Tarjono. Tarjono himself stated there was no fund flow to previous Kodim officials, none. This is purely due to the consultant’s failure in managing labor, budgeting, and project progress," Arifin emphasized.

When asked if the leadership change of Kodim 1620 Lombok Tengah in July 2026 was related to the allegations of receiving Rp 10 billion from the consultant or development partner, Arifin firmly denied any connection.

"No connection at all. Rotation and reassignment within the TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces) is very rapid currently because the leadership expects younger officers to become battalion commanders. Therefore, leadership changes are accelerated — unrelated to the present situation," he stated.

According to Arifin, the foremen protests since August 2026 are disputes between Tarjono as consultant or partner and the foremen.

However, as a duty, he stressed Kodim has already provided budgets in accordance with the percentage of completed work.

"But apparently, the consultant was not trustworthy," Arifin said.

He assured Kodim 1620 Lombok Tengah is taking action. Mediation has been conducted, resulting in a statement from Tarjono expressing readiness to fulfill foremen’s payments.

Arifin acknowledged that the construction of 63 KDKMP units in Lombok Tengah has faced obstacles but believes these can be resolved. Twenty-eight units have already been completed 100 percent.

At Kodim 1620 Lombok Tengah’s office, many materials such as paint and gypsum ceiling planks are available for KDKMP construction. This is to accelerate completion so that the cooperative can benefit the community.

Video Clarification

Meanwhile, according to a video received by Kompas.com, Tarjono denied that any suppliers or foremen have not been paid.

He explained that he synchronizes billing data submitted by foremen and suppliers with progress and assessments from consultants. Therefore, he urged foremen not to worry about their payment settlements.

In the same video, Tarjono also denied any flow of project funds to former Kodim Lombok Tengah officials.

"Regarding news claims that some funds were given to Kodim officials, we can prove through our records and accounting entries that this is not true," Tarjono said in the video clarification.

Additionally, in a WhatsApp message to Kompas.com on Saturday (19/9/2026), Tarjono reiterated his denial.

"We are still verifying invoices; nothing is clear yet. There is no flow of funds to former Kodim officials," Tarjono said.

He also assured that all invoices totaling Rp 4.59 billion will be paid.

Some KDKMP Units Already Completed

Meanwhile, based on Kompas.com’s observations of a KDKMP in Pasar Renteng, construction that was stalled for two months has resumed with new foremen, supervisors, and consultants.

A dozen workers are finishing incomplete tasks. According to Babinsa overseeing construction, Sergeant Major Isnaini, the Renteng KDKMP project is 85 percent complete and nearing completion.

Construction is targeted to finish by the end of September 2026.

"Work resumed after halting in July 2026. Now, only finishing remains. The foremen and partners/consultants are new, and all workers receive their weekly wages," Isnaini said.

Some workers also reported no wage issues, receiving payments each week from either previous or current foremen.

"Although work was paused for two months, it has now resumed. Our work is supervised, and wages are secure," said I Wayan Sudarte.

The KDKMP in Desa Rembitan also appears fully completed but is not yet operational.

There is hope that the fully completed KDKMP cooperatives in Lombok Tengah can soon operate to meet community needs.