Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Deputy Chairperson of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission II, Aria Bima, hopes that President Prabowo Subianto will refrain from making budget cuts in 2026. According to him, changing the allocation of the State Budget (APBN) halfway can disrupt performance.

"It is ineffective for budget absorption and will certainly disrupt the substance of the APBN process, which is an instrument for economic growth and welfare improvement," said Aria after a meeting on determining the efficiency of Commission II DPR's partners on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

Aria mentioned that changes to the APBN allocation resulting in budget efficiency in 2025 are reasonable, as the APBN 2025 was formulated before President Prabowo took office. "For the first year, I can understand it, because perhaps Prabowo's programs differ from Jokowi's who formulated the APBN 2025," he said.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) politician understands the purpose of this efficiency, which is to support programs directly benefiting the people, such as Free Nutritious Meals. However, he hopes for more transparency in such processes.

The budget cut process has now entered the reconstruction stage. The DPR leaders have requested commission leaders to continue meetings with their respective working partners regarding budgets. This request came after the DPR leaders instructed all commissions to postpone budget meetings while the government revised budget ceilings for ministries and institutions.

Previously, Prabowo issued Presidential Instruction Number 1 of 2025 regarding budget efficiency, requesting that the APBN be cut by up to Rp300 trillion.

– Nabiila Azzahra contributed to the writing of this article.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1974553/dpr-says-prabowos-budget-cuts-ineffectiv