President Prabowo Subianto asks his Cabinet ministers to stick to the budget allocated by the government and should not ask for additional budgets to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
“We will see how it develops. Don’t keep bothering the Minister of Finance, because the Minister of Finance is responsible to me,” Prabowo said while addressing the Opening of Community Participatory Development Planning (Musrenbang) of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) in Jakarta on Monday, December 30, 2024.
The president said further that not all ministries or government institutions (K/L) can obtain the budget they want this time. He, however, signaled that this situation could change over time, depending on the nation’s needs and priorities.
Prabowo recalled his experience when he served as Minister of Defense in President Joko Widodo’s Cabinet. During his terms as Defense Minister, Prabowo often had to face budget constraints due to the policies of Sri Mulyani, who at that time also served as Minister of Finance.
Furthermore, Prabowo emphasized the importance of budget discipline in order to maintain the country’s fiscal stability. By emphasizing the responsibility of the Minister of Finance and the importance of synergy between ministries, Prabowo reminded his aides in the cabinet to focus on the efficiency and effectiveness of the utilization of the approved budget.
