Parliamentary Speaker Addresses 2026 Budget, Highlights Job Creation

Jakarta — The Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (DPR) RI Puan Maharani has raised concerns regarding fiscal resilience in the State Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 during the opening address of the Fourth Session of the 2025-2026 parliamentary session on Tuesday, 11 March 2026.

She expressed the expectation that the 2026 budget must preserve and maintain the living standards of the population. The DPR RI stressed that state fiscal policy must continue to ensure that public welfare does not decline amid global economic dynamics.

“In this context, the DPR RI will ensure that the fiscal capacity of the 2026 budget can continue to preserve the living standards of the people, ensuring that public welfare does not decline,” Puan said.

She explained that global geopolitical dynamics, including conflicts in the Middle East, have the potential to affect global economic stability and consequently impact the national economy.

Several sectors deemed vulnerable to impact include oil prices, transportation costs, commodity prices, the rupiah-to-US dollar exchange rate, and trade chains and national economic growth.

Despite these circumstances, she noted that the public continues to hold great expectations that the state will create employment opportunities, increase public income, and expand access to education and healthcare services.

“The people must continue to hold great expectations that the state will create jobs, increase public income, improve access to education and healthcare services, and strengthen the people’s economy,” she said.

Therefore, Puan emphasised that government budget policy must maintain fiscal resilience whilst ensuring that citizens retain access to employment, income growth, and quality public services.

“Government budget policy must maintain fiscal resilience that can ensure the people continue to have a path towards prosperity,” she concluded.