East Kalimantan Governor's Laundry Budget of Rp450 Million: General Bureau Clarifies It's Not Just for Rudy Mas’ud's Clothes

An allocation of Rp450 million per year for laundry services, recorded in the 2026 General Procurement Plan Information System (SiRUP) within the East Kalimantan Provincial Government, has come under spotlight on social media. Acting Head of the General Bureau of the East Kalimantan Provincial Regional Secretariat, Astri Intan Nirwany, emphasised that the budget is not solely for washing Governor Rudy Mas’ud’s clothes. She stated that the funds encompass various operational needs within the official residence environment. According to Astri, the laundry budget is used for washing a range of equipment, such as carpets, curtains, bed covers, and other facilities located in six buildings in the governor’s office complex. “The budget is used for washing various equipment like carpets, curtains, bed covers, and other facilities in six buildings in the governor’s office complex,” Astri said, quoted from the TikTok account @KaltimToday on Tuesday, 5 May 2026. She noted that currently, many provincial government activities are no longer held at hotels. This is an impact of budget efficiency instructions from the central government, so various activities are now centralised in the official residence buildings. The activities in question include ceremonial, official, social, religious, and community organisation events. With the increased intensity of building usage, operational needs, including laundry services, have also risen. Astri emphasised that the budget is adjusted to existing operational needs and is not purely for the regional head’s clothing. She mentioned that the naming in the General Procurement Plan (RUP) does not fully reflect the detailed use of the budget in the field. “It is not true that the budget is only for the regional head’s clothing laundry. That is just the naming in the RUP, and it will later be adjusted with the nomenclature in the Regional Government Information System (SIPD),” she stressed.