DPR Secretary General Cuts Fuel Allowance for Echelon Officials, Building Lights Turned Off at 18:00

The Secretary General of the House of Representatives (DPR) RI has begun implementing energy efficiency policies through savings on fuel use and restrictions on electricity consumption amid the crisis resulting from the conflict in the Middle East. The parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, consisting of the MPR RI/DPR RI/DPD RI buildings, has enforced power outages to support the government’s energy efficiency efforts. Secretary General of DPR RI Indra Iskandar stated that the power outages are carried out in all work rooms and meeting rooms every 18:00 WIB until morning. According to him, building management staff will monitor electricity usage. “The building working group will control electricity and AC usage as well,” Indra said when confirmed in Jakarta on Friday (27/3). In addition, he said that they are also implementing savings on petroleum fuel (BBM) for vehicles used by officials of the DPR RI General Secretariat, from echelon 3 to echelon 1. “We are focusing on civil servants (ASN). So, currently, the fuel quota is temporarily reduced by one day each week,” he said. He stated that the savings will be effectively implemented on Monday (30/3), when all General Secretariat (Setjen) DPR RI officials are complete. However, previously, the DPR RI Setjen General Bureau had also calculated the savings policy. Previously, the Minister for State Secretary (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi said the government continues to prepare strategies to maintain the health of state finances, including closing potential budget deficits through tightening spending and reviewing programmes deemed low priority. With this strategy, the government hopes to keep the deficit under control while ensuring state budget is used more efficiently and on target.