Indonesian province offers cash for men to undergo vasectomy

Mixed response to governor's move to slow population growth

- Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja

SUBANG, West Java - In a first for Indonesia, the authorities in the country's most populous province of West Java have introduced a new incentive to slow population growth by offering 500,000 rupiah (S$40) in cash to men who undergo vasectomies.

The men must be aged 35 and above, healthy, have fathered at least two children, and have the consent of their wives for the procedure. In West Java, a person is defined as being below the poverty line if he lives on 535,000 rupiah, or lower, a month.

"Response has been way above expectations," said Mr Enda Suganda, a senior official at West Java's population control and family planning department in Subang regency.

"We had more than 200 men coming forward, but we could only do 60. We will budget again for further vasectomies later this year," he told The Sunday Times on June 12.

The sterilisation programme is the brainchild of West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, and will be rolled out in other regencies including Purwakarta, Cirebon and Indramayu later. A small but undisclosed amount for the programme will come from the province's social assistance fund for 2025, which is earmarked at 14 trillion rupiah, said Mr Enda.

"There are always pros and cons, but I believe vasectomy gives a lot of benefits," goods trader Asep Dadi, 50, who has three children, told ST. "It does not do harm to us men," added Mr Asep, one of the 60 who had the minor surgical procedure in Subang regency, saying he planned to use the money for household expenses.