Prabowo: We Once Saved Rp308 Trillion from the State Budget by Cutting Unreasonable Expenditures

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto has been candid about the reasons behind the policy of trimming inefficient state budget expenditures. According to him, large-scale efficiency is the only way to save the people’s money from potential criminal acts of corruption.

Prabowo revealed that in the initial stage of efficiency, the government succeeded in saving funds amounting to Rp308 trillion. He believes that if those funds were not immediately cut, they would open avenues for corruption.

“When we first carried out efficiency measures, we saved Rp308 trillion from the central government. Where did that come from? From all those unreasonable expenditures. My conviction is that all of this Rp308 trillion, if not cut, would lead to corruption,” explained Prabowo during a discussion with experts and journalists on Thursday (19/3/2026).

Prabowo stated that the efficiency implemented by his government is only the initial stage. He assessed that there is still much room for savings, particularly from routine expenditures that are not essential. Several budget items that were trimmed include costs for ceremonies, purchases of office stationery, and expenditures for meetings and seminars outside the office.

In addition, he also highlighted the habit of procuring goods such as computers and office equipment almost every year, as well as the prevalence of study activities that he deems do not address core issues like poverty and employment.

In facing pressures due to the Middle East conflict, Prabowo emphasised the importance of controlling consumption and efficiency in various sectors. He cited several policies implemented in other countries, such as reducing workdays to four days and applying work from home (WFH).

“I see other countries, for example, reducing workdays from five to four, in the Philippines, Pakistan. Then work from home, working from home. During Covid, we did it quite successfully. I think we can do that too. Perhaps 75 percent of employees or civil servants can work from home,” added Prabowo.