Jakarta, VIVA \u2013 The Ministry of Finance has clarified statements made\nby Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa in response to a legal\nchallenge brought by honorary teachers against Law Number 17 of 2025 on\nthe State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN) for Fiscal Year\n2026.<\/p>\n
The Head of the Ministry of Finance\u2019s Bureau of Communication and\nInformation Services, Deni Surjantoro, stated that Minister Purbaya\nnever explicitly declared that the legal challenge would fail.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather, the Minister was conveying the conditional prerequisites of\nany legal challenge \u2014 namely that a petition could either lose or win,\u201d\nsaid Deni in a statement on Friday, 20 February 2026.<\/p>\n
He explained that the context of Purbaya\u2019s remarks was that if the\nlegal basis for the challenge were strong, the petition could succeed,\nwhereas if the basis were weak, it could fail.<\/p>\n
Deni affirmed that the Ministry of Finance respects the aspirations\nof honorary teachers who have filed a judicial review of the State\nBudget Act at the Constitutional Court, particularly regarding the Free\nNutritious Meals (MBG) programme.<\/p>\n
According to Deni, Minister Purbaya had no intention of belittling or\ndisregarding the struggles and aspirations of honorary teachers.<\/p>\n
Deni added that Minister Purbaya also understands that honorary\nteachers play a vital role in the national education system and are an\ninseparable part of Indonesia\u2019s human resource development\npriorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ministry of Finance invites all parties to respond to\ninformation in its full and proportionate context, and to prioritise\nconstructive dialogue for the strengthening of national education\npolicy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Previously, Purbaya had responded to the judicial review of the 2026\nState Budget Act during a doorstop interview at the Parliamentary\nComplex in Jakarta on Wednesday, 18 February 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe shall see what the outcome is. A challenge can lose or win. I\nthink [the judicial review] is weak. If it is weak, it will certainly\nlose. But we shall see what the outcome is,\u201d Purbaya said.<\/p>\n
The Constitutional Court has received at least three petitions for\njudicial review of Law Number 17 of 2025 on the 2026 State Budget, all\nof which challenge the financing arrangements for the MBG programme.<\/p>\n
The three petitions are: Case Number 40\/PUU-XXIV\/2026, filed by the\nYayasan Taman Belajar Nusantara; Case Number 52\/PUU-XXIV\/2026, filed by\nlecturer Rega Felix; and Case Number 55\/PUU-XXIV\/2026, filed by honorary\nteacher Reza Sudrajat.<\/p>\n
All three petitions challenge Article 22 paragraph (3) of the 2026\nState Budget Act and its elucidation, which classifies the MBG programme\nunder operational funding for education provision, drawn from the\neducation budget.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ministry-of-finance-clarifies-purbayas-statement-on-judicial-review-of-state-budget-act-over-free-nutritious-1771661590", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }