Reduction In Recess Funds Is A Positive Signal For House Of Representatives' Budget Efficiency

Chairman of the House of Representatives' Constitutional Court (MKD) Nazaruddin Dek Gam led the verdict reading session for the alleged violation of the House member's code of ethics at the House of Representatives building in Jakarta, Wednesday (November 5, 2025). ANTARA/Bagus Ahmad Rizaldi

JAKARTA - The House of Representatives (DPR)'s decision to cut recess funds from IDR 702 million to IDR 500 million, as decided by the House Ethics Council (MKD), has been applauded by various parties.

Furthermore, the MKD's decision to cut recess funds, based on the need for efficiency in recess activities, arose from a push for more orderly budget use and proportionality to results achieved on the ground.

"From an institutional perspective, this policy deserves appreciation because it demonstrates an internal awareness to improve governance and responds to public criticism of the large recess funds, which have been deemed disproportionate to their impact on the community," said Hairunnas, a lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Muhammadiyah West Sumatra, on Monday, November 10.

"On the positive side, this decision can provide momentum for the DPR to shift from a ceremonial recess pattern to more meaningful, measurable, and substantive activities," he continued.

With more limited funds, according to Hairunnas, council members are encouraged to be more selective in choosing their visit locations and focus on community aspirations, rather than simply fulfilling visit schedules.

"This also serves as evidence that the DPR is beginning to reorganize its priorities and is striving to build public trust through more transparent budget management. This step is also a positive signal of budget efficiency by the DPR," he said.

However, Hairunnas believes that the reduction in recess funds still poses challenges. With reduced budgets and visitation points, DPR members may have difficulty reaching all electoral districts, especially remote areas.

"If not balanced with a more systematic, participatory approach, such as strengthening representative communication mechanisms through community consultative forums or aspiration networks based on local institutions, the representative function could be diminished," Hairunnas explained.

"Therefore, efficiency needs to be accompanied by innovation so that recess activities remain effective and public aspirations are not ignored," added the Spektrum Politika Institute researcher.

Hairunnas also emphasized that the reduction in funds and recess locations should not be an excuse for the DPR to reduce its intensity in absorbing public aspirations.

He said that budget efficiency should not be interpreted as saving on attendance, but rather as an encouragement to work smarter and more focused.

"This is the paradox. Even though resources are reduced, it is hoped that the results will be more tangible to the people, because what is being tested is not the number of visits, but rather how much the public's voice actually reaches the policy table," Hairunnas concluded.

The decision to reduce the number of locations from 26 to 22 per recess period was read and approved at the plenary meeting of the House of Representatives' (MKD) Council on Wednesday, November 5th. The decision was read by Deputy Chairman of the MKD, Adang Daradjatun.

"We request the Secretary General to cut the DPR RI recess budget to 22 locations," Adang said while reading the decision at the MKD session that day.

Adang explained that the MKD's decision is final and binding. Therefore, the MKD requested the DPR Secretariat General to immediately implement the ruling.

This decision was read after the MKD ruled on an ethics case involving DPR members related to dancing during the MPR annual session and a joint DPR-DPD session regarding alleged increases in DPR members' salaries and allowances. Adang explained that the decision regarding recess funds was a case without a complaint being examined by the MKD.

The Constitutional Court (MKD) stated that the recess budget is an official budget regulated by law and used by members of the House of Representatives (DPR) to gather and follow up on aspirations from their respective electoral districts. However, based on the dynamics occurring in the 2025 fiscal year, the MKD's oversight revealed that the use of recess funds was ineffective.

In its legal considerations, the MKD stated that DPR members must be accountable for the use of recess funds.

"Given the dynamics surrounding the recess funds used by members in 2025, the MKD feels the need to conduct oversight and address the dynamics in society to prevent violations of the code of ethics and misuse of these funds," explained Adang.

"In the MKD Panel's hearing, the 2025 recess was deemed ineffective," he added.