Ombudsman Budget Cut in Half, Public Service Oversight Threatened

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – President Prabowo Subianto's instruction to streamline the budget of ministries/agencies also has the potential to impact the performance of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia. The resolution of public complaints and the prevention of maladministration, which are the main tasks of the Ombudsman, may not be optimally carried out. Budget cuts should be implemented with the principles of fairness and transparency so as not to disadvantage the public.

Based on the budget ceiling in the 2025 State Budget, ORI has a budget of IDR 255 billion. This budget has been cut by nearly 50 percent or IDR 103 billion. The cut is based on Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 1 of 2025, signed on January 22, 2025. In the Inpres, President Prabowo instructed ministries, agencies, and local governments to streamline state/regional expenditure budgets by up to IDR 306.69 trillion.

Chairman of the Republic of Indonesia Ombudsman, Mokhammad Najih, said that the budget efficiency had a significant impact on his institution.

"The impact is very significant because what is taken is the budget for the substance of our main duties and functions, namely the resolution of public reports and the prevention of maladministration," he said in Jakarta, Tuesday (4/2/2025).

Najih stated that, as a supervisory body for public service administration, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia relies heavily on government funding to conduct maximum and effective oversight.

With significant budget cuts, the effectiveness of supervision is also threatened and may not be carried out effectively. This is because most of the tasks of resolving community reports are carried out by the Ombudsman through direct visits to the field or reported locations.

"If there is no change, then the service in the supervisory function cannot run optimally, including the sudden inspection activities that we usually carry out which require official travel," said Najih.

The oversight function by ORI remains important to be optimized considering the increasing number of reports each year. Based on data from the Ombudsman, in 2021, there were 7,148 reports from the public in 38 provinces in Indonesia. This number increased to 8,295 in 2022 and 8,452 in 2023. In 2024, there were 10,846 reports, or an increase of 28 percent from the previous year.

The majority of the reports pertain to agrarian issues (1,865 reports), followed by employment (1,353), education (1,039 reports), transportation (726), and civil and political rights (685 reports). Other reports include government administration (648), police matters (624), rural issues (401), social welfare (388), and healthcare services (325).

The most reported party is the local government with 4,976 reports. Followed by the National Land Agency (1,257 reports), state-owned enterprises/regional-owned enterprises (680 reports), as well as the police institution (624), other government agencies (356), banking (259), hospitals (240), agencies (163), and judicial institutions (162).

The most frequently reported types of maladministration include prolonged delays, failure to provide services, and procedural irregularities.

In 2024, the Ombudsman has completed 10,768 reports or 11.33 percent higher than the initial target of 9,672 reports. The closing of this report includes reports received in 2024 and previous years.

Najih emphasized that the role of this institution is very important in enforcing rules and regulations in public service governance. Therefore, budget efficiency policies should be carried out while still paying attention to the principles of justice, transparency, aspiration, and participation.

In addition, the Indonesian Ombudsman advised the President and the Ministry of Finance to apply budget efficiency evenly to all ministries and institutions, as was done during the Covid-19 pandemic emergency. Budget cuts are expected not to be discriminatory against certain institutions.

"We do not reject efficiency, especially for the noble interests. However, in its implementation, the principles of justice and transparency must be observed so that all institutions can continue to carry out their functions optimally," said Najih.

He also hopes that state institutions with small budget ceilings will not be cut so much, almost 50 percent. "It should be, with the same consideration, every ministry/state institution is treated fairly and equally, without exception or discrimination," he added.

Not only the Ombudsman, another state institution, namely the Judicial Commission (KY) also complained about the government's budget efficiency policy. Budget cuts of up to around 54 percent of the 2025 budget ceiling have limited the KY's room to maneuver, even to carry out its main task of recruiting candidates for supreme court justices and supervising judges.

The Judicial Commission (KY) leadership will soon hold a leadership meeting to address the situation. "Yes, you can imagine. State institutions, how come, can't work to serve the people seeking justice," said Judicial Commission Spokesperson, Mukti Fajar Nur Dewata, when confirmed, Monday (3/2/2025).

KY is one of the institutions that must carry out efficiency measures worth IDR 100 billion from the 2025 budget ceiling of IDR 184.526 billion or equivalent to 54 percent.

"There is indeed a budget cut, the exact amount is in the KY Secretary General. However, from the budget received, it is only enough for routine operations so that the KY's main duties and functions have no budget," said Mukti.

The KY tasks that are threatened to not be able to be carried out due to the budget cuts include the selection of candidates for supreme court justices and public report services until examination. "Increasing the capacity of judges also cannot run, including advocacy," said Mukti.

Legal observer and researcher at Centra Initiative, Erwin Natosmal Oemar, said that the budget quota reflects the politics of the government regime. Efforts to reduce the budget for public services in the justice sector which have implications for performance amputation show the regime's indifference to the urgency of judicial governance by the KY.

"KY must explain that the cuts have paralyzed the institution organizationally and made the supervision performance not run. The explanation must be done institutionally to the Minister of Finance and the President," Erwin suggested.