Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Asks East Kalimantan Governor to Reconsider 8.5 Billion Rupiah Official Vehicle Budget

Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Wamendagri) Bima Arya has responded to the 8.5 billion rupiah budget allocation for an official vehicle for East Kalimantan (Kaltim) Governor Rudy Mas’ud, requesting that the governor reconsider the expenditure.

“The purchase of official vehicles should simply be at reasonable prices,” Bima Arya told journalists on Saturday (28 February 2026).

“The Governor could reconsider this purchase,” he added.

Bima Arya stated that official vehicle purchases should be procured at fair market prices. He emphasised that the budget allocation should be readjusted accordingly.

“We recommend that it simply be adjusted again, at fair market prices,” he said.

Bima Arya reminded regional heads of a circular letter (SE) issued by the Home Affairs Minister in February 2025. The circular urged regional heads to consider aspects of urgency, necessity, and benefits to the public when allocating budgets in their Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budgets (APBD).

“There is still a Home Affairs Ministry circular from February 2025, which asks regional heads to consider aspects of urgency, necessity, and public benefit in APBD allocations,” he said.

Previously, East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud had commented on the 8.5 billion rupiah budget for official vehicle procurement. He stated that the procurement was conducted in accordance with regulations and to maintain the dignity of East Kalimantan.

The issue of the 8.5 billion rupiah budget was initially explained by East Kalimantan’s Regional Secretary, Sri Wahyuni. According to Antara news agency on Tuesday (24 February), Sri stated that the procurement plan had undergone careful consideration based on operational needs and the effectiveness of the head of region’s work.

She said the operational vehicle was intended to reach areas of East Kalimantan that have extreme geographical characteristics. She stated that the governor’s official vehicle must be capable of traversing difficult terrain in East Kalimantan.

“The Governor is committed to directly monitoring every problem in remote areas. For example, during a visit to Bongan, he wanted to see for himself the condition of roads that residents complained about. To reach critical points with such difficult terrain, a reliable and representative vehicle is needed,” said Sri Wahyuni.