Jokowi Reminds that 2024 State Expenditure Must Remain Targeted and Transparent

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) advised that the 2024 state spending allocation be absorbed on target, transparently and adaptively to various changing situations.

This message was conveyed by Jokowi when making a speech on the agenda of handing over the Budget Implementation List (DIPA) and Transfer Allocation List to Regions (TKD) for the 2024 Fiscal Year to representatives of ministry/agency and regional government officials.

"I want to remind you first, use the budget that has been given, once again in a disciplined, thorough and targeted manner," said President Jokowi in his speech at the State Palace in Jakarta, reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, November 29.

In his briefing before officials from ministries/institutions and regional governments, Jokowi warned of the potential for an economic crisis and recession triggered by the impact of increasingly heated global geopolitics and increasingly real climate change.

The second message conveyed by Jokowi is transparency and accountability of regional finances which need to be prioritized by the competent authorities to prevent misuse of the budget, related to corruption.

"Put forward transparency and accountability. Don't open even the slightest loophole for corruption, let alone close that loophole," he said.

The third message conveyed by Jokowi relates to accelerating the absorption of the 2023 budget which must be absorbed optimally within the remaining three weeks.

Based on a report from the Ministry of Home Affairs, said Jokowi, the realization of central government budget absorption is currently only around 74 percent, while regional governments are around 64 percent.

"It's only been three weeks, it's still 64 to 74 percent. This means that in these three weeks, trillions of trillions of money will be released, we keep repeating this every year," he said.

The final message conveyed by Jokowi was to prepare to anticipate uncertainty through automatic adjustments.

"You have to be agile in responding to existing changes. As soon as there is a change, you must immediately be agile in changing. Because of the current uncertainty, this really stalks us every day, every week, every month, there are always changes," he said.

Jokowi said that every rupiah spent is people's money, so he must focus on results.

"The orientation is results. Procedures are mandatory but the orientation should not be procedures, the orientation should be results, the focus should be on results and most importantly it will also be of maximum benefit to the people," he said.

The submission of the 2024 DIPA and TKD to ministers, heads of institutions and governors was carried out digitally, no longer in the form of physical documents as was done previously.

State spending in 2024 will be aimed at completing priority infrastructure, accelerating green economic transformation, and supporting reform of the bureaucracy and state apparatus, including support for the implementation of the 2024 elections.

The Ministry of Finance allocated a budget of IDR 857.6 trillion or an increase of 5.3 percent from the 2023 allocation in the form of TKD to support the salaries of government employees with work agreements, especially teachers and health workers.

The additional budget is also to improve regional public services, support school operations, PAUD, and equal education, as well as to address extreme poverty and reduce stunting.