After Budget Efficiency: AC-Lights Off, ASN Hang Out at Mosque

The air conditioner condenser outside the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform or Kemenpan and RB building in Jakarta, Tuesday (4/2/2025), is no longer spinning. Several rooms inside are also dark and unoccupied. Since President Prabowo Subianto instructed every government agency to streamline their budgets, changes have been evident in that ministry.

Changes were also noticeable as the time for the midday prayer approached, with employees of the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (Kemenpan and RB) flocking to the Quba Mosque located within their office complex to perform their prayers. This scene is quite rare on regular days, except for Fridays.

After the prayer, the employees, who are mostly civil servants, did not immediately leave the mosque. They were seen relaxing, lying down, playing with their gadgets, and occasionally chatting with their colleagues.

One of the civil servants at the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform, Hermawan (not his real name), acknowledged that the activities of employees have started to change since the issuance of Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 1 of 2025 on budget efficiency, last January 22. The mosque, which usually only had two rows of worshippers, can now reach more than five rows.

"I often pray in congregation at the mosque, almost every day in fact. The real difference is that now (the mosque) is more crowded. Usually when praying near (each) room or whatever. You understand why now they are in the mosque, so they can relax a bit, lie down for a while, ha-ha-ha," he said when met by Kompas, Tuesday (4/2/2025).

Moreover, employees "do not yet" have tasks that require them to return to the office quickly. Hermawan also mentioned that he prefers to go to the canteen after the midday prayer. Similarly, other workers still seem to crowd the Reformasi Canteen. In fact, the time has already passed the lunch break, which is 1:00 PM WIB.

So, why don't employees return to their respective work spaces?

According to Hermawan, he is indeed currently free and has nothing to do. He suspects that the same thing is happening to other employees. Since the budget efficiency instructions took effect, the work of the employees has also been affected.

In the past, employees would stay until late at night, around nine o'clock, working on something. Now, what is there to work on? Nothing, so they go home. Previously, overtime was not paid, but it was fine, they only received meal money. Now, there is nothing at all. Air conditioning and internet might be restricted. Security would ask, 'Hey, why are the lights still on?'

"How could it not be, the budget is performance-based, but we can't work if there is no budget. The current budget cuts are too extreme. We at the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform are actually productive, but if there is no support from the budget side, we can't work," he explained.

The current situation causes discomfort among employees. Compared to before budget efficiency, Hermawan continued, employees always had activities such as meetings and so on. However, to carry it out now, they need to dig into their own pockets. This is because the budget for consumption, business trips, and others has been cut completely. As a result, it has an impact on employee performance.

Not only that, before there was efficiency, employees were generally still in the office environment even though their working hours should have finished. Even, to the point of working overtime to finish the work. However, currently, working is just about coming and going home.

“Employees used to stay until night, at nine o’clock, working on something. Now, what do you want to work on? Nothing, go home. In the past, overtime was not paid, it was okay, just got food money. Now there is nothing. AC (air conditioning) and internet are probably limited. If asked by security, ‘eh why are the lights still on?’,” said Hermawan.

Furthermore, Hermawan assessed that budget efficiency also had an impact on community businesses in the Kemenpan and RB environment. Before the budget efficiency policy was implemented, every day there was always food and drinks ordered and delivered by couriers to the office for meeting consumption needs or others. This supported micro, small, and medium businesses.

"Now, there are no more orders, only individuals at most. What will happen to them? Not to mention hotels, inns, and others who are used to being supported by the government budget. They must be screaming," Hermawan added.

Referring to information received by Kompas, Kemenpan and RB has a budget ceiling of Rp392.98 billion. However, due to efficiency policies, this budget is planned to be cut to Rp219.19 billion or more than half of the ministry's total budget.

The efficiency of the budget expenditure stated in Presidential Instruction No. 1/2025 targets savings of Rp306.69 trillion. The budget savings will be diverted to programs whose benefits are directly felt by the community, such as free nutritious meals, and food and energy self-sufficiency.

Not only in the Kemenpan and RB environment, the impact of budget efficiency is also starting to be felt in the Presidential Secretariat (Setpres).

A staff member at the Presidential Secretariat said that the effort to save money was not felt in the operational realm of the office, such as reducing the use of air conditioning or other electronic equipment. Efficiency actually occurred significantly during official travel.

Now, the duration of official travel to accompany the President's activities is strictly reduced. ASN Setpres who participate in the President's agenda abroad will leave one day before the event and return to Jakarta one day after the event is over. Previously, they could leave at least three days before the agenda and return to Indonesia several days after the agenda is completed.

The number of ASNs participating in the President's advance team for state trips has also been reduced. Trips that used to be attended by dozens of ASNs are now attended by less than 10 ASNs. Therefore, adaptation is needed in the division of tasks. Generally, now each ASN will work on more types of tasks because the number of personnel involved is decreasing.

According to the staff, the savings efforts had actually been carried out before Presidential Instruction No. 1/2025 was issued. In fact, various savings patterns were also said to have begun in the second term of President Joko Widodo's administration. For that reason, ASNs have been relatively able to adapt to the new work pattern, so that it does not interfere with their daily work.

It's different in the State Civil Service Agency (BKN). Efficiency does not only target official travel such as in the Presidential Secretariat or AC operations and consumption, but many other things. The form of efficiency is stated in the Official Note.

For example, Middle Senior Officials only receive a maximum fuel allocation of 10 liters per working day, while Primary Senior Officials and Main Expert Functional Officials do not receive a fuel allocation. This policy is effective as of February 1, 2025.

Then, the budget allocation for banquets, office stationery, computer materials and office household equipment, as well as the budget for facilities and infrastructure in the form of procurement of furniture, equipment and machines, as well as room renovations to the operation of pick-up cars for employees were decided to be eliminated.

Not only that, the budget allocation for electricity, water, telephone, mail delivery services, and maintenance of equipment and machines/computer devices is also reduced. In addition, document printing can use the available photocopying machine sharing.

Rental fees for ornamental plants, flower arrangements, tents, air fresheners, pest control, aquascapes and WA Blast will be waived, while lift operations and central air conditioners (AC) will be partially operational.

Acting Head of the Public Relations, Legal, and Cooperation Bureau of BKN, Mohammad Ridwan, when contacted on Sunday (2/2/2025), stated that the efficiency measures are part of President Prabowo's instructions to streamline the budget. As a result, BKN has cut its budget by up to Rp 285.29 billion or equivalent to 35.73 percent of the allocated budget for 2025, which is Rp 798 billion.

According to Ridwan, this budget cut will definitely have an impact on BKN. However, he ensured that with the innovation and new working methods that are being designed, the implementation of BKN's priority programs will continue. So far, for example, BKN has used the application in full for substantial work on ASN management services.

Not only in BKN, the Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Mokhammad Najih, explained that the impact of efficiency is very significant because the cuts occurred in the budget for the main tasks and functions of his institution. This was especially cut in the budget for resolving public reports and preventing administration.

"As a state institution that oversees public administration, it will not be able to carry out supervision optimally and effectively, considering that the task of completing reports is often in the field or at the location of the report," he said.

In addition to being ineffective, Najih saw it as unreasonable for an institution that received a small budget to have its budget cut so significantly. This is because the cut almost reached 50 percent of the budget ceiling.

He hopes that each ministry, institution, or service is treated fairly so that there is no discrimination. As a regulatory enforcement officer, the Ombudsman advises the President and the Minister of Finance to implement budget efficiency evenly such as the emergency period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With a small program budget, of course not all cases can be followed up.

Likewise, the view of Komnas HAM Commissioner, Anis Hidayah. According to her, her institution will have difficulty following up on thousands of public reports due to budget cuts. This is because more than 50 percent of Komnas HAM's budget has been cut. In fact, the remaining budget is only enough for employee salaries and daily operations. "With a small program budget, of course not all cases can be followed up," she said.

Referring to the data in circulation, the budget ceiling of Komnas HAM of Rp 160.5 billion was cut by Rp 74.2 billion. Meanwhile, the budget ceiling of the Indonesian Ombudsman of Rp 255.59 billion was cut by Rp 103 billion. On the other hand, the budgets of institutions and ministries in the fields of law enforcement, security, and defense were not cut at all. Likewise, the budgets of the MPR and DPR.

What do you think? Is budget efficiency right so that the government's priority programs can be implemented or will it backfire on the government?