President Prabowo Subianto has hinted at the attitude of bureaucrats who oppose the budget efficiency policy of the government, likening them to “little kings” who feel immune to the law and therefore to oppose the head of state’s directives.
This budget efficiency order is written in the Presidential Instruction No. 1/2025 and the Minister of Finance’s Circular No. S-37/MK.02/2025. The efficiency of spending on all Ministries/Institutions in the 2025 State Budget is set at Rp26.1 trillion (US$1.6 billion).
“There are those who oppose me. In the bureaucracy, they feel they are immune to the law, they feel they have become ‘little kings’,” Prabowo said while addressing the opening of the 18th Congress of Muslimat Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), in Surabaya on Monday, February 10, 2025.
President Prabowo has earlier stressed that he wanted to stop unnecessary spending, including spending that was considered wasteful or a loophole for corrupt practices. He would use the state money to expand the scope of recipients of the free nutritious meal program (MBG) and for improvement of the education sector.
“I want to save the money for the people, to feed the people’s children. I want to fix all Indonesian schools,” Prabowo said.
He cited that currently the government’s budget is only able to repair 20 thousand schools. In fact, there are 330 thousand schools that need to be repaired.
Therefore, he ordered business travel of government officisals to be reduced.
“Those who can go abroad are those who will study on State’s assignment or are on State duties. If they want to travel on holiday, they must use their own money,” the president said.
On the same occasion, President Prabowo also hinted at parties who want to separate him from the 7th President of Indonesia, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. He asked these parties not to divide him and Jokowi.
“There are those who want to separate me from pak Jokowi. It’s funny, it’s okay to laugh at. (But) let’s not get involved in the division,” Prabowo said.
Prabowo said that the divide et impera tactic often divides the nation. Therefore, he asked to ignore the news of the division and regretted it if there were parties who wanted to attack Jokowi.
