Government Approves Additional Budget of IDR 209 Billion for ASDP and Pelni

JAKARTA - The government has approved an additional budget of around Rp209 billion to ensure that the pioneering transportation service continues to run until the end of the second semester of 2026.

The decision was made in a meeting between the government and the DPR attended by the Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi, COO Danantara Dony Oskaria, the leadership of the DPR, as well as the leadership and Chairman of the Group of Fractions (Kapoksi) of Commission V of the DPR, Monday, July 20.

The Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, conveyed that the government immediately approved the additional budget because the pioneering transportation service is a basic need of the community as well as a government priority.

"Alhamdulillah, the meeting did not take too long because we were able to agree and the figures needed by the Minister of Finance were immediately given the ability, because the first problem is not the number, but this is the form of priority and main attention. So we decided together that we would immediately fulfill this to be able to solve the budget problems faced by friends at ASDP and at Pelni," he told the media.

Prasetyo explained that the meeting was focused on finding solutions to the needs of the pilot transportation budget, which had previously been feared to disrupt services to the public, especially in the leading, outermost, and lagging areas (3T).

He added that the additional funds were allocated to support the operations of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) by around Rp139 billion and PT Pelni (Persero) by around Rp70 billion.

"What was just conveyed is the need for around Rp. 139 billion for ASDP, and approximately Rp. 70 billion for Pelni," he said.

In addition to approving additional budgets for ASDP and Pelni, Prasetyo said the government also discussed a funding scheme for Perum DAMRI.

He added that unlike ASDP and Pelni, which require additional budgets, the DAMRI issue is more related to the funding mechanism, which is considered necessary to be improved so that similar constraints do not occur again.

"(DAMRI) does not specifically require additional budget, only the funding scheme that we have agreed to find a solution so that it does not happen again like today. The point is that we are trying to find the administration so that it can be accelerated, because this concerns the basic needs of the community, especially in pilot areas and 3T areas," he explained.

During the meeting, he conveyed that the government also discussed the proposal for the Additional Budget (ABT) from the Ministry of Transportation to meet the needs in the remaining semester II 2026.

Prasetyo said that the technical discussion regarding the ABT would soon be carried out by the Ministry of Transportation together with the Directorate General of Budget of the Ministry of Finance to detail the budgetary needs before it was determined.

"There is also a request for ABT from the Ministry of Transportation which we have agreed to immediately today between the Minister of Transportation and the Director General of the Budget, the technical team, to detail, but in principle, what was proposed earlier we can agree together," he said.

He added that the value of the ABT proposed is estimated to reach around IDR 2.3 trillion to IDR 2.4 trillion.

"Roughly, if I'm not mistaken, it was around Rp2.3 or Rp2.4 trillion," he said.

In addition to the budget aspect, he added that the government was also evaluating the mechanism for distributing funds so that the administrative process would no longer hinder public transportation services.

"Well, that was one of the things that was conveyed. Not only the budget problem, but also the problem of the mechanism to ensure that the administrative process or mechanism does not interfere with public services, with the community. That's why the proposal came up like that," he said.

However, Prasetyo said that any changes to the mechanism must still meet the provisions of governance and government administration.

"So, if until now through the Ministry of Transportation, everything has been arranged, yes, regarding governance, reporting, inspections, and so on. So if we decide to make changes, of course we have to ensure that all administrative, governance is also carried out correctly," he explained.

He ensured that pioneering transportation services, including in the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) region, have now resumed operations and serve the community.

Meanwhile, Prasetyo said that the discussion on the pioneering air transportation had not been carried out in the meeting, but the government also discussed the budget needs related to the supervision, maintenance, and safety inspection of airports and ports that would be part of the deepening of the Ministry of Transportation's ABT proposal.