If Ordered by Prabowo, Purbaya Ready to Sack Customs Director-General Djaka Budhi Utama

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said he is ready, if ordered by President Prabowo Subianto, to remove Djaka Budhi Utama from his post as Director General of Customs. ‘If the work isn’t going well, should I just be told to sack him?’ Purbaya said at the DPR building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (20 May 2026). ‘We will see. If that is an order, I will carry it out; I can’t do it without an order. But I will check first,’ he added. Prabowo said he has repeatedly warned that the Customs Service must be improved. Djaka is a former member of the Mawar Task Force who was appointed Director General of Customs in May 2025. ‘Let me remind you again, for the umpteenth time, our customs must be fixed. Minister of Finance, if the head of Customs is not capable, replace him immediately. The nation and the people demand swift work; let us not be a government that is lazy, a government that is slack—what will happen later,’ Prabowo said at the DPR building, Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, 20 May 2026. Prabowo emphasised that all ministers and heads of agencies must cleanse their bureaucracies. Because, he said, entrepreneurs complain of routinely facing extortion (pungli) that is too widespread. ‘Do not hesitate to act against those who break the rules. Once again, all government institutions must work well. We must root out corruption, abuse of power, and practices that impede the progress of our economy,’ Prabowo added.