Finance Minister Says Budget Efficiency Focuses on Direct Benefits for the Community
Jakarta – The strategic step of optimizing state finances through the budget efficiency policy instructed by President Prabowo Subianto, is a milestone for renewal in more effective and targeted state financial governance.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said that the budget efficiency directive through Presidential Instruction Number 1 of 2025, which regulates spending efficiency in the implementation of the APBN and APBD, is believed to be able to drive economic growth.
“President Prabowo Subianto initiated the budget efficiency directive so that state treasury can be used for programs that have a more direct impact on the community,” said Finance Minister Sri Mulyani.
The budget that was cut, continued Sri Mulyani, will be diverted to priority programs such as Free Nutritious Meals, food self-sufficiency, and the health sector.
Sri Mulyani explained that spending items that are considered not to directly provide significant benefits, such as ceremonial activities, halal-bihalal events, handovers, meetings, seminars, analysis, training, professional service fees, printing, building rentals, vehicles, consultant services, and official travel are requested to be made more efficient.
“Those are the areas that we ask ministries and institutions to carry out quite deep and sharp efficiency, so that this reallocation of efficiency can be carried out for more productive spending,” explained the Minister of Finance.
Meanwhile, the Minister of PANRB, Rini Widyantini also said that bureaucratic reform is expected to continue even though the operational budget is experiencing efficiency.
“The government is optimizing information technology in the work system to reduce operational costs,” she said.
From the perspective of observers and academics, Political and Government Observer at Jenderal Achmad Yani University (Unjani) Cimahi, Arlan Siddha said that the budget that was cut did not go anywhere, but was rather directed to what could be directly felt by the community.
“Supporting budget efficiency, including cutting official travel, so that the budget has a more direct impact on the community,” he said.
The budget efficiency policy is also considered to bring benefits and positive impacts to the national economy. Minister of National Development Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (PPN/Bappenas) Rachmat Pambudy said that economic growth will remain high, even though there is a diversion or budget efficiency.
President Prabowo Subianto initiated the budget efficiency directive so that state funds can be used to strengthen programs that have a more direct impact on community welfare. [-RWA]
