Gerindra: President's Sacrificial Cattle Funded by State Budget Legal and Justified
Gerindra spokesperson Bahtra Banong stated that the President’s sacrificial cattle donations using state budget funds are legitimate. His remarks were made in response to controversy over President Prabowo Subianto’s donation of 1,098 sacrificial cattle funded through the state budget (APBN).
According to Bahtra, the assistance is legally sound as part of the Presidential Social Assistance (Banmaspres) programme, which has formal budgetary and financial mechanisms. “This is not the President’s personal money claimed as private assistance,” he said in a statement on Wednesday, 27 May 2026.
Bahtra added that no regulations were violated in the President’s provision of sacrificial cattle, as the programme is a state social assistance initiative formally allocated through the APBN to aid communities across regions.
He noted that Banmaspres, including sacrificial cattle donations, has a legal basis under the 2026 State Budget Law, and is executed in accordance with national financial management laws via the Ministry of State Secretariat.
Bahtra argued the President’s cattle donations are reasonable as they have been conducted under previous administrations. “Previous presidents also provided sacrificial cattle to various regions through state mechanisms facilitated by the Presidential Secretariat,” he said.
He urged the public not to be swayed by narratives suggesting the programme is new. “Do not create the impression that this initiative is unprecedented. The state has a duty to assist citizens, especially during religious occasions like Eid al-Adha. This programme ensures the benefits of Eid are widely felt, particularly by those in need,” he added.
Deputy Minister of State Secretariat Juri Ardiantoro previously disclosed that the budget for President Prabowo’s sacrificial cattle amounted to approximately Rp100 billion. He confirmed the funds for Eid al-Adha 1447 Hijriyah came from the Presidential Social Assistance budget line.
This year, President Prabowo distributed 1,098 cattle nationwide. “The funding source is the APBN, through the Presidential Social Assistance budget,” Juri stated at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, 26 May 2026.