Prabowo Urges Purbaya to Dismiss the Customs Director-General if He Fails to Deliver

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, has asked Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa to remove the leadership of the Directorate General of Customs if they are unable to resolve the problems within the directorate general. Prabowo said he had repeatedly urged that efforts in the customs sector be improved. ‘I remind you again, for the umpteenth time our customs must be improved. Finance Minister, if the head of Customs is not capable, replace them immediately,’ Prabowo said at a plenary session of the House of Representatives at the DPR Building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (20 May 2026). Prabowo also stressed that government officials should not work in a relaxed manner. ‘The nation and the people demand swift work; let us not be a government that is relaxed, a government that is slack—kumaha engke wahe,’ he said. Because, he added, businesspeople complain of pervasive illegal levies (pungli) that are excessive. ‘Do not hesitate to act against those who violate. Once again, all government institutions must work properly. We must eliminate corruption, abuse of authority, and practices that hinder the progress of our economy,’ added Prabowo.