“In This Economy”, Is a High Budget for an Official Residence Still Relevant?

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Plans to renovate the East Kalimantan Governor’s official residence (rujab) worth Rp 25 billion have drawn public attention. Is a high budget for rujab still relevant, in this economy?

Public funds intended for refurbishing the governor’s official residence have prompted critical responses from East Kalimantan’s residents. Demonstrations have taken place.

On the other hand, as encapsulated in the popular phrase “in this economy”, the current financial conditions are fraught with uncertainty and demand efficiency across the board.

The Secretary General of the Indonesia Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) assesses that building official residences is no longer relevant in the present era.

This is especially true if construction or renovation is prioritised when various public facilities in the area are still in poor condition.

“For now, it’s actually no longer relevant to refurbish their luxurious official residences, while the people are poor or the infrastructure facilities are bad,” said Misbah when contacted by Kompas.com on Tuesday (28/4/2026).

Thus, when the renovation incurs a very large budget, even reaching tens of billions of rupiah, it becomes ineffective and inefficient.

This is particularly so if the construction is forced amid economic conditions that demand savings.

He advised that regional heads should make better use of existing facilities.

“If there is damage, just carry out necessary repairs. There is no need for major renovations that do not provide significant benefits to the public. In the current economic situation, large expenditures on non-urgent matters are simply inappropriate and excessive,” said Praswad to Kompas.com.

After all, public office should be accompanied by simplicity and empathy towards the people’s conditions.

At a time when many citizens are still facing difficulties, using state funds for personal luxuries creates a stark and hard-to-justify contrast.