JAKARTA - The Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan complained about his ministry's budget, which has continued to decline from year to year, since 2021 to be exact.
Initially, the man who is familiarly called Zulhas revealed that his ministry's budget in 2021 was set at IDR 3.2 trillion.
Then in the following year it fell to IDR 2.1 trillion.
Zulhas said his ministry's budget had increased in 2023 to IDR 2.4 trillion.
However, he continued, the following year it fell again to Rp1.9 trillion.
Meanwhile, continued Zulhas, the indicative ceiling of the Ministry of Trade in 2025 is stipulated in the government's draft work (RKP) of IDR 1.6 trillion. This figure has decreased again.
"Now it's IDR 1.6 trillion. So we can't go anywhere, (only) the budget is routine," he said at a working meeting with Commission VI of the DPR, at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Thursday, June 13.
Furthermore, Zulhas said that when compared to the 2024 budget, there was a decrease of around 16 percent or Rp. 300 billion. However, he continued, the decline had reached half of the budget in 2021.
This indicative ceiling has decreased. Down, down, now down again, so when compared to (in 2024) IDR 1.9 it decreased by IDR 300 (billion). Or down almost 16 percent from yesterday. Even though at first it was calculated from the beginning of IDR 3 trillion, so there was a lot of decline," he explained.
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In fact, Zulhas said, Trade Attaches employees stationed in several countries are threatened with repatriation because of this shrinking budget.
The reason, continued Zulhas, was that the rental money for the Trade Attaches was withdrawn from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which had been financing it.
"Because the rent comes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it's also withdrawn, because the money doesn't exist. Usually, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Attaches in 52 countries, now it's no longer allowed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has less money either. That's roughly the reality," he said.
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