Investment And MSMEs Are Often Mentioned During Campaigns, Bahlil: But BKPM And Kemenkop Budgets Are Small

JAKARTA - Investment Minister/Head of BKPM Bahlil Lahadalia revealed that the budget in his ministry with the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs (Kemenkop UKM) is too small. In fact, the issue of investment and MSMEs continues to be mentioned in campaigns.

"Indeed, my fate with Mr. Teten is very small, sir. Mr. Teten is IDR 1.4 trillion, I am IDR 1.2 trillion. There are tails," said Investment Minister Bahlil in a Working Meeting with the Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs Teten Masduki with Commission VI DPR RI in Jakarta, on Monday, September 4.

The budget ceiling for the 2024 Fiscal Year for the Ministry of Investment/BKPM reaches around Rp. 1.2 trillion, while the Kemenkop UKM gets a budget of Rp. 1.4 trillion.

"Every campaign, whether in the Legislative Election or Presidential Election, always talks about MSMEs. MSMEs are always talked about choosing in order to encourage jobs, but why is the money for Mr. Teten only IDR 1.4 trillion? On the one hand, we talk about downstreaming, investment, services, the money is only given IDR 1.2 trillion," he said.

Bahlil admitted that he was curious about the state budget calculation scheme. The reason is, according to him, the budget of these two ministries is not proportional to the burden it bears. He hopes that he can learn about this budget determination scheme in order to answer his curiosity.

"The burden is high, the financial politics is not directly proportional to the burden. I don't know what's wrong, I also miss learning the financial system that was built. There may be a new theory," he said.

Due to this condition, Bahlil is worried that what he is targeting or what the DPR promises to the people will not be achieved and will only be beautiful words, such as in the case of the development of Online Single Submission (OSS).

"These will all be the themes of beautiful words, we can't make it happen well. Pak Teten doesn't want to talk about it. I represent Pak Teten because I am a junior," said Bahlil.

He even issued a parable stating that it may have been the fate of him and Minister Teten as officials in the ministry to get a small budget.

"Yes, the fate of the villagers to become ministers like this, like to be given a big target, the money is given small, maybe because Pak Teten is from a village in West Java, I am also from Papua, so this is made," he explained.

"But, this is testing our integrity and loyalty to the public actually, we have been tested. So, actually those who love the Republic are figures who want to fight from the village, so I think money is important," he concluded.