Prabowo Urges Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa to Replace Customs Chief If He Cannot Work Quickly

JAKARTA — President Prabowo Subianto has urged Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa to promptly replace the head of Bea Cukai if he is deemed unable to work quickly and responsively. Prabowo delivered the remark while giving directives on government service to the public. He also highlighted alleged under-invoicing practices that, according to him, have occurred over 34 years, from 1991 to 2024. The practice is said to have caused the state to lose wealth amounting to Rp 15,400 trillion. Under-invoicing refers to exporters or importers reporting inaccurate data to the government. ‘Minister of Finance, if the head of Bea Cukai cannot be replaced promptly,’ Prabowo said during the delivery of the Macroeconomic Framework and Core Fiscal Policy Guidelines (KEM-PPKF) 2027 at the DPR plenary session on Wednesday 20 May 2026. He stressed that the government cannot work leisurely or slowly when facing public issues. ‘The nation and the people demand work that is fast. Let us not be a government that is relaxed, a government that lounges around,’ he said. Prabowo also criticised the bureaucratic work pattern that often delays resolution of problems. He said under-invoicing causes Indonesia to lose wealth or incur state losses amounting to 900 billion US dollars, equivalent to Rp 15,400 trillion. Prabowo then referred to Bea Cukai, which had once been closed in the New Order era due to high corruption within the agency. ‘I still remember in the New Order era, our customs was so corrupt that we shut it down. We outsourced to the private sector and state revenue rose. Isn’t that sad?’ said Prabowo.