Celios Criticises Teddy Over "It's There Anyway" Response on Affordable Market Budget
The Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) has criticised Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya over the budget for the affordable market organised by the central government at the National Monument (Monas) last weekend. Teddy merely responded, “pokoknya ada” when asked about the event’s budget.
According to Celios Fiscal Justice Director Media Askar Wahyudi, as a government official, Teddy should not trivialise questions about budgets. “That means it’s unclear how much the budget is, where it’s sourced from, who the implementers are, and how much coverage it has,” Media said when contacted on Monday, 30 March 2026.
Media stated that the affordable market budget must be accountable to the public. The public, he said, has the right to know where the government obtains and manages funds, whether from the state budget (APBN), regional budget (APBD), or sponsorships from state-owned enterprises (BUMNs) or the private sector.
Without such transparency, Media argued, government budgets are vulnerable to misuse. “The public cannot check for price mark-ups, fictitious logistics costs, or unreasonable procurements,” he said.
Media also highlighted that Teddy was commenting outside his remit. According to Media, Teddy may lack the competence to comment on the technical aspects of the affordable market budget, which is not the responsibility of a cabinet secretary. “It’s very possible that Teddy doesn’t understand it at all,” he remarked.
The central government previously held an affordable market at Monas from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. WIB on Saturday, 28 March 2026. This market was an instruction from President Prabowo Subianto.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that the Presidential Palace prepared 100,000 shopping vouchers for free goods and staples worth Rp 500,000 each. Additionally, there were 300,000 portions of free food provided by 800 street vendor MSME traders.
According to Teddy, this bazaar for the people involved traders from Tanah Abang Market, Senen Market, and various other markets in Jakarta. The event also prepared various prizes through a raffle or door prize system. The prizes included 1,000 bicycles and 100 electric motorbikes.
Teddy mentioned that the event also featured an entertainment stage with performances by the music groups Wali and Bagindas. There were also various games for children.
Regarding the budget for the affordable market event, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya and Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Maman Abdurrahman did not provide clear answers.
During a press conference in the Monas area, Jakarta, on Saturday night, 28 March 2026, Maman was initially asked whether the funding source for the event came from the MSME Ministry’s budget allocation. “No, no. This budget position is…” Maman said, gesturing towards Teddy.
However, before Maman could finish speaking, Teddy interjected. “Pokoknya ada, okay,” Teddy said.