Indonesia Weighs Government Efficiency Measures Amidst US-Israel-Iran Conflict
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – Amidst escalating geopolitical tensions stemming from the conflict between the United States-Israel and Iran, Chairman of Commission II of the DPR (Indonesian House of Representatives), Rifqinizamy Karsayuda, has proposed implementing efficiency measures within a number of government programs. This proposal comes in response to the uncertain economic conditions created by the ongoing war.
Rifqinizamy voiced his support for President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to reduce the salaries of DPR members, cabinet ministers, and deputy ministers, characterizing it as a necessary step during this period of global uncertainty.
“Of course, it is not only salary cuts that are needed, but also making effective and efficient a number of existing government budgets,” Rifqi stated on Tuesday, March 25th.
Preparing for Economic Crisis
The NasDem Party politician believes the President’s plan signals a need for society to prepare for potential economic fallout from the conflict in West Asia. He emphasized the importance of ensuring all budget allocations are used appropriately and effectively.
“Ensuring that there is a budget output and outcome clear for development activities. And because of that, in my view, this is very positive,” he said.
Rifqi suggested that implementing the salary cuts could be achieved through a Presidential Regulation (Perpres) or a Minister of Finance Regulation, rather than requiring a revision of existing laws.
Maintaining Public Services
However, the chairman of the DPR Commission on government politics cautioned that efficiency plans should not negatively impact public services.
“The most important thing is that everything is managed well, transparently, and accountably, and the most important thing is that efficiency must once again be targeted at the right posts,” he added.
President Prabowo Subianto initially raised the possibility of salary reductions during a cabinet meeting on March 13th, citing global uncertainty as the impetus. He also encouraged all parties to conserve fuel, mirroring similar measures taken by Pakistan, including the implementation of work-from-home policies.
“They even reduced salaries for cabinet members, for DPR members,” he said.
Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi confirmed that the government is currently studying the feasibility of cutting salaries for ministers and DPR members. While Indonesia’s national fuel reserves are currently considered safe, Prasetyo Hadi stressed the need for savings across all government sectors, including reducing fuel consumption through measures like increased use of public transportation and limiting the use of official vehicles.