JAKARTA - A number of ministries and institutions have asked for additional budgets to be deemed inappropriate in the midst of the efficiency policy set by President Prabowo Subianto's administration.
The news that compact institutions and ministries have proposed an additional budget in the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget Plan (RAPBN), which has just begun its discussion in the DPR, has been in the spotlight in recent weeks.
The request, according to an economist, shows the absence of connectivity between ministries and institutions.
Since the beginning of his leadership, President Prabowo Subianto has imposed a massive efficiency policy in all ministries and institutions.
According to a number of groups, efficiency is carried out in order to smooth out Prabowo's mainstay program and his deputy, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, namely Free Nutrition Food (MBG).
The MBG program echoed by Prabowo before being elected as the number one person in Indonesia requires a jumbo budget.
However, not even a year of running efficiency, a number of dimensions and institutions have compactly requested additional budgets in 2026.
Most of the proposed increase was due to the reduced allocation from the previous year's budget.
For example, the National Police proposed an increase of up to IDR 63.7 trillion from the 2026 indicative ceiling set by the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) of 109.6 trillion.
The proposal rose 46.8 trillion or 70 percent from the National Police budget in 2025 of IDR 126.6 trillion. This request for increase will be used for a number of priority agendas, one of which is for capital expenditures that will be prioritized to increase police operations, security and public order services (kamtibmas) of IDR 45.1 trillion.
Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin also proposed an additional budget of around Rp. 17 trillion for 2026. With this addition, Sjafrie said that the Ministry of Defense's budget needs in 2026 reached a total of Rp. 184 trillion.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) requested an increase in the budget of up to IDR 18.5 trillion in 2026 after their indicative ceiling fell drastically to 63.2 percent from the previous year.
SEE ALSO:
The Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) also submitted a proposal for an increase in the budget. Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian proposed an increase in the budget of IDR 3.1 trillion from the indicative ceiling for 2026.
In addition to the mentioned ministries and institutions, there are also the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi), the State Capital Authority (IKN) of the Archipelago, and the Supreme Court which proposes additional budget.
The economist from the Bright Institute, Muhammad Andri Perdana, said that the steps taken by ministries and institutions that demand an increase in the budget are inappropriate.
"The current reality that cannot be denied is that the state's financial condition is far from fine, both in terms of spending, debt, and income. Everything is both pinched," Andri told VOI by telephone.
Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani said that the projected 2025 State Revenue and Expenditure Budget deficit reached IDR 662 trillion, equivalent to 2.78 percent of GDP. This figure, said Andi, exceeded the initial target of IDR 616 trillion or 2.53 percent of GDP.
This is an indication that the state budget burden which is getting heavier due to receipts is not on target and government spending is soaring.
"This (state budget deficit) is not felt by other ministries and institutions. So this shows the absence of connectivity between institutions and ministries," explained Andri.
"Ministry and other institutions do not have a sense of accountability or sense of crisis by submitting an additional budget," he said.
President Prabowo Subianto's budget savings policy is more appropriate to be called budget reallocation, according to Andri.
This can be seen from the savings results that have been diverted to finance new central government programs, including the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program.
Although it has drawn a lot of criticism from a number of circles, the MBG program has actually become the basis for requests for an increase in the budget, one of which is by the Police. There are allegations that this request was used for the construction of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) in each Regional Police.
"This is strange. From what we have read to date, the government wants MBG to continue to run up to 80 million recipients. In terms of this budget, it is clearly not included," he said.
"Although fiscal conditions are narrow, the Ministry of Finance is confused about increasing realistic income. Each state official does not have the courage to cut the presidential program which is considered strategic, such as MBG, the Red and White Cooperative, or BUMN funds transferred to the Danantara," he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
