Budget Efficiency, Bureaucracy Asked to Reduce Ceremonial Activities

YOGYAKARTA, KOMPAS – The budget efficiency policy implemented by President Prabowo Subianto is intended to finance more substantive programs. The government bureaucracy must also reduce ceremonial activities.

This was conveyed by the Head of the Poverty Alleviation Acceleration Agency, Budiman Sudjatmiko, when asked by reporters about this budget efficiency policy, at the Gadjah Mada University Campus, Yogyakarta, on Tuesday (4/2/2025). Budiman attended the inauguration of Deputy Minister of Finance Anggito Abimanyu as a Professor at the UGM Vocational School.

He explained that President Prabowo carried out this budget efficiency after instructing the relevant ministers to investigate budget leaks and overlaps.

"Indeed, a figure of around Rp 300 trillion was found every year, some of which is in the form of a double budget, ceremonial activities, which according to the President could be allocated for more substantive programs," said Budiman.

Budiman stated that, as an assistant to the president, he feels that this budget efficiency is a very appropriate step. Moreover, the president's tasks and mission to eradicate poverty, achieve food self-sufficiency, and provide housing for the people require extraordinary funding and budget efficiency.

That is why the government, the president's aides, and the bureaucracy must reduce excessive ceremonial and administrative work and focus on substantive work. "For example, addressing issues of poverty, inequality, energy, and education, which I believe are more needed by the people," he said.

Budiman also mentioned that the institution he leads is ready to make savings. This can be done, for example, by reducing costs for out-of-town trips. "Specifically on the island of Java, we, for instance, use more land transportation," he said.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno stated that the bureaucracy at all levels of government is working hard to streamline the budget and implement efficiency measures. "We are reducing every operational cost of the bureaucracy, so we can dedicate it to public services," he said.

Even so, Pratikno explained, this budget efficiency will not disrupt government functions, which will continue to operate as usual. One of the sectors whose budget will not be affected is disaster management.

Every operational cost of our bureaucracy is reduced, so we dedicate it to public service. (Pratikno)

As reported by Kompas (4/2/2025), this budget efficiency is stated in Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 1 of 2025 concerning Spending Efficiency in the Implementation of the 2025 State Budget and Regional Budget. The budget efficiency target reaches IDR 306.69 trillion from the ministry/institution budget of IDR 256.1 trillion and transfers to regions of IDR 50.59 trillion.

There are seven points of efficiency instructions from President Prabowo, namely operational expenses, office expenses, maintenance costs, official travel, government assistance, infrastructure development, and procurement of equipment and machinery. Efficiency is excluded for employee expenses and social assistance expenses. The budget efficiency will later be used to finance the priority programs of Prabowo's administration, one of which is Free Nutritious Meals.