PDIP Criticises East Kalimantan Governor's Rp 8.5 Billion Official Car: Inconsistent with Prabowo's Austerity Drive

PDIP’s Deputy Secretary-General and member of Commission II of the DPR RI, Deddy Sitorus, responded to the budget for the official car of the Governor of East Kalimantan (Kaltim), Rudy Mas’ud, which reached Rp 8.5 billion. Deddy believes that the purchase of the luxury vehicle is inappropriate and goes against the spirit of President Prabowo Subianto, who is currently promoting budget efficiency.

“In my opinion, the purchase of a luxury vehicle by the Governor of Kaltim when his region is experiencing drastic budget cuts is an insensitive and excessive act,” Deddy told reporters on Thursday (26/2/2026).

“Transfers to the Kaltim province have been cut by almost 75 per cent, from Rp 9.3 trillion to only Rp 2.3 trillion,” he added.

According to him, with the current poor infrastructure, the governor and his staff should postpone the purchase of official cars. Deddy encourages the budget to be reallocated for infrastructure improvements.

“If the reason is the very poor infrastructure, there are many types of cars that can handle it at a lower price. The purchase of a luxury car when the budget is tight should be postponed to the following year or cancelled altogether,” he said.

Furthermore, he said that the governor’s visits to the region are not done every day. Deddy said the governor could rent when needed.

“After all, the Governor does not visit the region every day and savings can be made by leasing or renting when needed,” he said.

“So the decision to continue purchasing a relatively luxurious car is actually against the spirit of saving and efficiency being promoted by President Prabowo,” he added.

Previously, the Governor of East Kalimantan (Kaltim), Rudy Mas’ud, spoke about the Rp 8.5 billion budget for the procurement of official cars. He said the procurement was carried out in accordance with the rules and to maintain the dignity of Kaltim.

The issue of the Rp 8.5 billion budget was initially explained by the Regional Secretary of Kaltim, Sri Wahyuni. As reported by Antara on Tuesday (24/2), Sri said that the planned procurement had gone through careful consideration based on the needs of the region and the effectiveness of the regional leader’s work.

She said that the operational vehicle was intended to reach areas of Kaltim which have extreme geographical characteristics. She said that the governor’s official car must be able to handle the rough terrain in Kaltim.

“The Governor is committed to monitoring every problem directly in remote areas. For example, during a visit to Bongan, he wanted to see for himself the condition of the roads that residents complained about. To reach crucial points with such difficult terrain, a reliable and representative vehicle is needed,” said Sri Wahyuni.