Efficiency in APBN Management to Maintain Economic Stability
By: Eko Gumilar
The government continues to strive to maintain national economic stability through efficiency policies in the management of the State Budget (APBN). This step is seen as an important strategy in dealing with global economic uncertainty and ensuring that every rupiah spent truly provides maximum benefits to the community. President Prabowo Subianto has emphasized that this efficiency is not only aimed at reducing state spending, but also optimizing budget use to be more effective and have a broad impact.
The Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Indonesian Business Council (IBC), Arsjad Rasjid, considers this policy to be the right step. According to him, efficiency is not only about savings, but also about how the budget can be used to encourage economic growth. With this approach, the government is not only cutting spending, but also opening up space for the private sector to play a more active role in development. This includes various strategic areas such as infrastructure, industry, food, and energy downstreaming, which are expected to create new investment opportunities and jobs for the community.
In addition, Arsjad sees this efficiency policy as an opportunity for the government to improve the fiscal system by collaborating with the private sector. By involving entrepreneurs in strategic projects, the government can reduce the burden on the APBN without having to sacrifice development programs. This approach is also in line with efforts to increase state revenues through taxes and levies obtained from more dynamic economic activities.
From an economic perspective, this policy has also received support from academics and public policy experts. Achmad Nur Hidayat, an economist from UPN Jakarta, emphasized that budget efficiency must be carried out strategically so as not to disrupt the implementation of previously designed government programs. He emphasized that efficiency is not just about cutting spending, but rather optimizing the allocation of funds to priority sectors.
According to him, the budget reduced from the ministry’s operational spending can be diverted to programs that have a greater impact on society, such as infrastructure development, social assistance for vulnerable groups, and job creation. With this approach, the efficiency policy not only produces healthier state financial reports, but also provides real benefits for the people.
However, Achmad also highlighted that this efficiency effort still faces structural challenges in government, one of which is the size of the cabinet that is too large. He assessed that streamlining ministries and state institutions could be a more substantial solution to reduce the fiscal burden. Overly complex government structures often result in budget waste in the form of operational costs, allowances, and convoluted bureaucracy.
According to him, evaluation of the effectiveness of ministries and institutions must be carried out periodically. If there are ministries that are considered not to have made an optimal contribution to achieving government targets, then streamlining must be considered. In addition to increasing efficiency, this step can also accelerate the decision-making process and policy implementation.
On the other hand, this budget efficiency policy has a positive impact on the government’s efforts to suppress inflation and maintain people’s purchasing power. Funds from budget savings can be allocated to strengthen people’s welfare programs, such as energy subsidies and social assistance. That way, this policy not only helps reduce the fiscal deficit, but also prevents increases in the price of basic necessities that can burden the lower class.
At the global level, efficiency policies in budget management are not only carried out by Indonesia. Deputy Chairperson of the National Economic Council (DEN), Mari Elka Pangestu, said that various countries are also implementing similar strategies to deal with global economic uncertainty. Countries such as Vietnam, China, and the United States are also taking efficiency steps to maintain their fiscal stability.
Let’s assess that the policies implemented by President Prabowo are the right steps, especially considering Indonesia’s limited fiscal space. He emphasized that budget efficiency is not just about reducing spending, but also about how to ensure that every fund spent has maximum impact on society. The government, he said, must ensure that every rupiah spent is truly used for productive programs.
