Jokowi Talks About Billions Busines-Trips Meetings: Less Than IDR 2 Billion for Eggs, When Will the Stunting End?

President Jokowi/DOK PHOTO via Instagram @jokowi

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) satirized the pattern of officials who seem to 'waste' money, aka the budget in handling stunting cases. Much of the budget, according to Jokowi, is absorbed for official travel, not to address the main problem of stunting.

"Just last week I checked the Regional Expenditure Budget (APBD) of the Minister of Home Affairs. Let me see, IDR 10 billion for stunting, IDR 3 billion for official travel for meetings, IDR 2 (billion) for strengthening the development of anything blah blah. There really isn't two billion to buy eggs, when will the stunting be finished if it's done like this?” said Jokowi speaking at the opening of the National Coordination Meeting for Government Internal Supervisors as broadcast via the Presidential Secretariat Youtube, Wednesday, June 14.

The division of this budget allocation emphasized by Jokowi must be changed. In terms of handling stunting, more than 80 percent of the budget should be used for spending on product needs to prevent stunting.

"This is all that has to be changed, if it's IDR 10 billion, the budget should be IDR 2 billion for other things, of which IDR 8 billion is to directly buy eggs, fish, meat, vegetables, give it to those who are stunted, the concrete is something like that," said Jokowi.

Therefore, Jokowi emphasized monitoring the use of this budget to be the BPKP's tough task. The use of APBN/APBD, continued Jokowi, must be productive.

"Because the BPKB's hands reach the provinces, districts, and cities, meaning it can escort, can supervise, can direct," said Jokowi.

"We know that there is still a lot of poverty, areas where poverty is high but those with social protection budgets of less than one percent are prioritized first. It is things like this that need to be closely watched, identify the problem, provide recommendations for initial assistance so that our budget is truly productive," Jokowi continued.