PSI Supports Sri Mulyani's Policy To Cut MPR's Budget

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) supports the policy of the Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani, who cut the MPR budget. The reason is that the funds are used to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and help the poor.

PSI politician Tsamara Amany said the MPR should support the finance minister's policy because people's welfare should be a priority in the allocation of the state budget.

Previously, the MPR leadership had lodged a protest against Mulyani's policy of cutting the budget when there was an increase in leadership from four to 10 people.

The Deputy Chair of the MPR, Fadel Muhammad, this week also asked President Joko Widodo to evaluate her work and fire Mulyani.

Muhammad also said that he was disappointed that the female minister was not present in person at the meeting held by the MPR.

On another occasion, the Chairman of the MPR, Bambang Soesatyo, this week also asked Mulyani to respect inter-institutional relations by fulfilling the invitation to a meeting from the MPR.

"In fact, the presence of the Minister of Finance is urgently needed to improve coordination with the MPR as the people's representative institution, which consists of 575 members of the DPR and 136 members of the DPD," said Bambang Soesatyo.

In his written statement, he conveyed that the MPR supports various government performances in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and national economic recovery.

Bamsoet further explained that the COVID-19 pandemic had not only had an impact on the health and economic sectors, but also eroded noble values, local wisdom, and national identity.

"The impact of the damage can be much more devastating, as a visible threat that is not detected by medical diagnosis," he explained.

Regarding her absence from the meeting with the MPR, Sri Mulyani through her upload on her official Twitter account @smindrawati this week, explained that she had to attend an internal meeting with President Joko Widodo and the Budget Agency DPR meeting.

"Twice invitations for 27 July/2021 coincided with the president's internal meeting which had to be attended so that the presence at the MPR was represented by the Deputy Minister (deputy minister, ed.). On September 28, 2021, together with the DPR Budget Agency meeting to discuss the 2022 State Budget, the presence of the Minister of Finance is mandatory and very important. The meeting with the MPR was decided to be postponed," he said.