Minister Bahlil Complained About The Increase In Budget Of IDR 875 Billion Not Approved By Sri Mulyani

Minister of Investment/Head of BKPM Bahlil Lahadalia (left). (Photo: Screenshot of DPR YouTube)

JAKARTA - Investment Minister/Head of BKPM Bahlil Lahadalia regretted that the additional budget request for the improvement of the Online Single Submission (OSS) system was not approved by the Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani.

The Ministry of Investment/BKPM is known to have obtained a budget ceiling for the 2024 Fiscal Year (TA) reaching around IDR 1.2 trillion. Then in June, he asked for an additional budget of IDR 875 billion, one of which was for the improvement of the system.

"Yesterday we submitted an additional budget of Rp800 billion, which is to build an OSS and because there is no additional budget, we will not be able to perfect the OSS as desired," said Minister Bahlil at a Working Meeting with Commission VI DPR RI in Jakarta, on Monday, September 4.

Bahlil also likened the OSS system to Avanza and Mercy cars.

According to him, now OSS seems like an Avanza that is still full of limitations, so it cannot be perfected to become like Mercy, which is said to have more advanced technology.

"If the Avanza car is not ordered to run (speed) 160 km/hour, it will overturn on the toll road, or don't tell people to live comfortably in the Avanza car. Well, if we want to use a good car, Mercy, the condition is that we can run 160 km, it must be slippery and the stabilizer must run well," he said.

Therefore, Bahlil hopes that the DPR is willing to understand the current condition.

Do not let him be accused of not fighting for the people's expectations represented by the DPR because he cannot perfect the system.

"Ask the Ministry of Finance, why can't that happen," he said.

"I don't want to be a crying minister just because of this issue, but this is a problem rather than the demands of the people," said Bahlil.

In addition, Bahlil also conveyed his achievements. The ministry under his auspices regains an Unqualified Opinion (WTP) on his financial statements in 2022. The WTP is the 15th time his ministry has achieved.

"Not because my staff work is good (achieving WTP), no, but because the money (budget) is small," he concluded.