How Jember Regent Cuts Budget During Official Visit
JEMBER Regent Muhammad Fawait sat alone in the front passenger seat of a minibus on Saturday afternoon, 14 March 2026. Dressed in a black kopiah skullcap and batik shirt with black trousers, the Gerindra politician travelled in a single vehicle with several heads of work units. From the Jember Regent’s official residence, the single minibus carrying no more than 10 people departed for a Japanese foreign direct investment company located in Silo District.
The afternoon brought light rain, with water droplets clinging to the red-plated government minibus windows. The vehicle moved steadily through Jember’s traffic. The distance from the regent’s residence to Silo District is approximately 25 kilometres. Throughout the journey, Fawait continuously engaged with Jember residents via live communication to address their complaints.
Fawait responded to complaints by directly contacting relevant officials to promptly resolve issues raised by the public. Through radio communication, Fawait also directly liaised with district heads simultaneously to ensure residents were not lacking or struggling to obtain basic foodstuffs.
Within just over 30 minutes, the minibus reached its destination. Fawait exited first, followed by his accompanying officials as they visited the Japanese company. The visit concluded after the evening prayer with a joint breaking of the fast meal.
Following the meal together, the group immediately returned to the official residence. On the return journey, Fawait entered the vehicle last, giving his subordinates priority to board first. They arrived back at the residence around 19:30 WIB.
Using a single minibus for both outbound and return journeys in an official visit represents a departure from previous practice where the regent and departmental heads each used separate official vehicles. Instead, they now travel together in one minibus.
This follows President Prabowo Subianto’s directive regarding fuel consumption restrictions and budget efficiency. “We arrived as one group, not individually. This is a form of efficiency in accordance with the President’s direction. Given the turmoil in the Middle East which has made oil prices volatile, we must be vigilant to prevent the state’s subsidy burden from swelling,” said Fawait during his visit.
Responding to global conditions and heightened efficiency requirements, Fawait also proposed reintroducing selective work-from-home (WFH) arrangements. According to him, current technological advances make it possible for government operations to remain optimal without constant reliance on physical mobility that incurs high operational costs.
“We have experience from the Covid-19 period. With advanced technology already in place, we can reapply the WFH scenario to reduce fuel consumption and office costs without diminishing the quality of public services,” he concluded.
The visit concluded with a strong message that every business unit in Jember should be capable of providing tangible social benefits to surrounding communities whilst strengthening regional economic resilience amid global uncertainty.