List of Controversies Surrounding East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas'ud Leading to the 21 April Action
East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud has sparked controversy due to a series of policies involving substantial budgets, leading to a student demonstration on 21 April.
The 21 April action by the people of East Kalimantan took place not only in front of the governor’s office but also in front of the East Kalimantan DPRD building.
The protest, dominated by student participants, put forward three demands: auditing all policies of the East Kalimantan provincial government, halting corrupt practices in East Kalimantan, and urging the East Kalimantan DPRD to take immediate action and fully exercise its oversight function.
In the demonstration, which resulted in the arrest of several protesters, Rudy did not meet with the crowd. However, he expressed thanks for the input from students, community layers, and all elements acting as social controls.
“Thank you for the input from my student siblings, community layers, and all elements that remain as social controls. Today’s input is very meaningful and classy,” he said via an Instagram video on Tuesday (21/4).
Previously, Rudy has been spotlighted for several of his policies in East Kalimantan that utilise massive budgets amounting to tens of billions of rupiah.
For instance, he allocated Rp25 billion for renovating the official residence. There was also the procurement of official vehicles costing Rp8 billion. Most recently, the provincial government’s food budget is said to reach Rp10 billion.
Official vehicles Rp8.5 billion
In February 2026, Rudy was criticised for procuring official vehicles with a budget of Rp8.5 billion.
According to Rudy, the vehicles are to support the regional head’s activities, especially given East Kalimantan’s status as a supporting region for the IKN, which increases the regional head’s mobility in welcoming guests.
“East Kalimantan is the Nusantara Capital, a miniature of Indonesia. Guests are not only regional heads from across Indonesia, but also global ones. Should the regional head use a substandard vehicle? We must uphold the dignity of East Kalimantan,” he stated.
Recently, Rudy cancelled the plan after receiving reprimands and scrutiny from various parties, including his party, Golkar, and the government.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) advised Rudy to review the procurement plan. Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Bima Arya assessed that procuring luxury vehicles contradicts the principle of efficiency.
“We suggest the governor review it, evaluate the official vehicle purchase to align with efficiency principles. We have also conveyed this directly to him,” said Bima Arya to CNNIndonesia.com via written message on Saturday (28/2).
Renovation of residence Rp25 billion
Not long after the vehicle procurement case, Rudy was again criticised in early April for the massive budget of Rp25 billion for renovating his official residence.
He explained that the budget is not only for the governor’s official residence renovation but also for the deputy governor’s residence and supporting facilities such as the pendopo. According to Rudy, the governor’s official residence has not been occupied for over 10 years.
Now, he says the renovation process for the house is complete.
“We’ve fixed the official residence. There were many things missing, from electronics to toilets that needed fixing, lights and so on, including televisions and sofas that were no longer suitable; we’ve restored them to accommodate all provincial government activities in East Kalimantan,” he said.
Saltwater aquarium
Rudy understands that several items in the official residence have triggered public anger. Two of them are a massage chair and a saltwater aquarium.
According to Rudy, the procurement for the house was done before he took office. However, he understands that the criticism now falls under his responsibility.
“Therefore, I am not making excuses; this is my responsibility,” said Rudy.
As a solution, Rudy claims he will personally cover the costs of several items in the renovation that are outside official functions, including the massage chair and saltwater aquarium.
Later, the audit and evaluation results will be made public. He said this so that the public can directly see the evaluation outcomes.
Provincial government food budget Rp10 billion
Rudy did not deny that the provincial government’s food and drink budget reaches Rp10 billion. However, the figure has been decreasing over the last three years.
He explained that food and drink expenditure in 2023 was Rp12.33 billion. It then rose in 2024 to Rp15.89 billion but fell again in 2025 to Rp11.93 billion.
“For 2026, it drops further to around Rp10.24 billion. So the trend is declining,” he said.
Rudy reminded that information conveyed to the public should not trigger misunderstandings. He hopes the atmosphere remains conducive and the public is not easily provoked by incomplete information.
“If it’s wrong, it should be corrected, but don’t let it be ignited into untrue issues,” he stated.