4 Policies of East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud That Sparked Major Protests, From Official Vehicles to House Renovations
Thousands of East Kalimantan residents held a demonstration in front of the Governor’s office on Tuesday, 21 April 2026, as a form of protest against several budget policies deemed not in favour of the public.
The action spotlighted Governor Rudy Mas’ud’s policies, which are considered to have triggered public unrest, leading to clashes with security forces.
The demonstration, involving students and civil society, put forward three main demands: evaluation of provincial government policies, cessation of corruption, collusion, and nepotism (KKN) practices, and urging the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) to strengthen its oversight function.
The action heated up in the evening, marked by the throwing of objects at officers and the burning of tyres around the location. Security forces responded with water cannon sprays to control the situation.
The main focus of the action was several controversial budget policies, including:
- Rp8.5 billion budget for official vehicles
The East Kalimantan Provincial Government allocated a budget of Rp8.5 billion for the purchase of the governor’s official vehicles in the 2025 Revised Regional Budget (APBD).
This policy drew criticism for being inconsistent with efforts to achieve budget efficiency amid the still chaotic state of infrastructure.
- Renovation of official residence and governor’s office Rp25 billion
The budget for renovating the governor’s and deputy governor’s official residences, as well as office arrangements, reached around Rp25 billion.
The provincial government stated that the figure is an accumulation of various needs, namely:
Governor’s Official Residence Rp12 billion
Office workspace arrangement Rp8.2 billion
Deputy Governor’s Official Residence Rp4.9 billion
- Governor’s expert team budget Rp10 billion
The budget allocation for the East Kalimantan governor’s expert team in 2026 also came under scrutiny. The funds disbursed for honorariums and business trips for the team amounted to Rp10.78 billion for a nine-month work period.
Based on the Governor of East Kalimantan’s Decree Number 100.3.3.1/K.9/2026 on the Formation of the Governor’s Expert Team for 2026, issued on 19 February 2026, the team is strengthened by 43 personnel.
- Allegations of Corruption, Collusion, and Nepotism (KKN) in the East Kalimantan Provincial Government
In addition, allegations of political dynasties were also highlighted in the demonstration. This is because several relatives of Rudy Mas’ud now hold strategic positions in East Kalimantan.