Bardjan, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has defended the size of his administration, comparing Indonesia's government structure with that of Timor-Leste to argue that the number of ministries alone does not determine whether a government is efficient.
Prabowo made the remarks during his speech at the closing of the 35th Congress of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) at the Bahrul Ulum Islamic Boarding School in Jombang, East Java, on Monday, August 31, 2026.
His comments came in response to criticism that his administration has a "bloated" cabinet and is therefore inefficient.
"My cabinet has been called a bloated cabinet, inefficient," Prabowo said, according to an official broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat, as cited by Antara.
Prabowo compares Indonesia with Timor-Leste
Prabowo argued that a country's population and geographic size should be considered when assessing the structure and scale of its government.
He cited Timor-Leste as an example, saying the Southeast Asian country has a population of about 1.1 million, smaller than the populations of several Indonesian provinces and regencies.
"There is a country, Timor-Leste, whose population is only one million. Smaller than many provinces in Indonesia. Smaller than many regencies in Indonesia," Prabowo said.
He noted that Timor-Leste, despite its relatively small population, has a cabinet with a substantial number of members. "Timor-Leste's cabinet has 28 [members]," he said.
Prabowo said the comparison was relevant given Indonesia's population of nearly 300 million, arguing that the country therefore requires a government structure suited to its larger scale.
Prabowo cites broad political support
Prabowo also linked the size of his administration to its political support in parliament, saying his government is backed by most of the political parties represented in the legislature.
"The coalition government I lead is quite large, with seven of the eight parties in parliament," Prabowo said.
His remarks were part of his broader defense of the structure of his administration, which has faced scrutiny over the number of ministries and government institutions under his leadership.
Rather than directly addressing the efficiency of individual ministries, Prabowo emphasized that the appropriate size of a government should be considered in the context of a country's population, territory and political structure.