Democrat Party Says Salary Cuts for Ministers and Parliamentarians Could Be Option to Save State Budget
JAKARTA — The secretary general of Indonesia’s Democrat Party, Herman Khaeron, has stated that salary cuts for state officials, including ministers and members of parliament, could be one option for fiscal tightening to protect the state’s financial condition.
According to Herman, the government does need to prepare various anticipatory measures amid global uncertainty triggered by the Middle East conflict, resulting from Iranian attacks and United States involvement.
“In certain situations we must be prepared with various fiscal tightening options, including cutting employee expenditure allocations without exception for ministerial salaries and parliamentary members’ salaries,” said Herman when contacted by Kompas.com on Monday (16 March 2026).
However, the member of Parliament’s Commission VI emphasised that budget tightening must be directed towards maintaining national economic stability, particularly in protecting public purchasing power.
To that end, he said the decision should rest entirely with the President to determine the best course of action.
“Therefore, we leave it to the president to develop the best scenario in anticipating the impact of the Middle East conflict,” he said.
President Prabowo Subianto had previously highlighted the Pakistani government’s efforts to curb state expenditure amid global turbulence, including the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States.
Prabowo cited Pakistan’s implementation of various cost-saving policies, ranging from ministerial salary cuts to restrictions on the use of official vehicles.
He believed such policies could serve as an example worth studying by Indonesia, particularly when global oil prices are rising.
This was conveyed by Prabowo while chairing a plenary cabinet session at the State Palace on Friday (13 March 2026).
Prabowo also highlighted the cost-saving policies implemented by the Pakistani government, including salary reductions for high-ranking state officials.
“They have even reduced salaries for cabinet members and for parliament members,” said Prabowo.
Savings from such measures would then be redirected to assist the most vulnerable segments of society.