Prabowo Responds: House Commission X Says Teacher Salaries Have Risen, But Not Yet Optimal

Deputy Chairman of House Commission X, Lalu Hadrian, has responded to President Prabowo Subianto’s remarks regarding teacher salary increases. He confirmed that teacher salaries have indeed risen, though the increase has not yet reached an optimal level.

"Actually, to say they haven’t risen is not true; they have risen. But indeed, it is not or not yet optimal," Lalu told reporters at the Parliamentary Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, 24 June 2026.

Lalu assessed that President Prabowo essentially wished to convey to the public that the government is currently seeking a formula to establish an ideal salary for teachers.

"So, of course, the President wants to deliver the message that the government today is formulating the ideal amount for teacher salaries," Lalu said. "Therefore, despite this, we in Commission X continue to push for teacher salaries to truly rise in accordance with a proper calculation," he continued.

It was previously reported that President Prabowo Subianto spoke out about why salaries for teachers and civil servants are difficult to raise. One of the causes, according to Prabowo, is budget leakage. He stated that the leakage of state revenue is estimated to reach Rp2,500 trillion each year, resulting in an inadequate state budget for improving public welfare.

Prabowo made these remarks during his address at the closing ceremony of the 2026 National Deliberation of Alim Ulama and the Grand Conference of Nahdlatul Ulama in Bangkalan, Surabaya, East Java, on Tuesday, 23 June 2026.

"I want to convey in this forum, because I want you, the NU community, as leaders, as ulama, as teachers, as guides of the people, to understand. Why can’t teacher salaries be good? Why can’t civil servant salaries be good? Why is the budget always insufficient? Because the money isn’t there; it keeps being taken," Prabowo said.

He again raised the issue of under-invoicing, or fraudulent reporting of transaction values, which he claimed has been practised by businesspeople for years, causing massive state losses. "Those businesspeople lie. They say they sold 1,000 tonnes, but they report only 500 tonnes. What does that mean? It means the state loses out," he stated.

Prabowo noted that according to expert calculations, Indonesia suffers losses of up to 150 billion US dollars, or Rp2,500 trillion, each year. Wealth that should be felt in its benefits for domestic development instead evaporates and disappears.