PU Secretary General: Minister's Family Trip to US Will Not Use State Budget

The public was recently stirred by the circulation of a document detailing a working visit by the Ministry of Public Works to New York, United States. The document’s spread sparked polemics on social media after it became public consumption. One of the highlighted items in the document was the names of the wife and child of Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo Lasmono, listed among the delegation scheduled to attend a United Nations event on 13-19 July 2026. Responding to this, Ministry of Public Works Secretary General Apri Artoto acknowledged that the circulating letter was indeed issued by him. The letter was intended for administrative completeness in visa processing. “I can explain that it is indeed a letter from me as Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Works, and that letter is for administrative completeness in visa processing, so the activities to be carried out are still tentative. The list in the letter includes the possible companions of the Minister of Public Works,” he told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday (7/7/2026). He stated that the delegation list did include family members’ names because, for visa processing, it is best to consolidate them into one set of data, a policy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “However, what I need to emphasise here is that the financing for the family will not use state budget funds. If family members do depart, the financing will use personal funds. I stress again, there is no use of state budget funds for family or personal interests; it will be funded privately,” he clarified. Additionally, he explained that his team is searching for the source who leaked the working visit letter, considering that official correspondence from the Ministry of Public Works should not be for public consumption. Apri stated that it is not yet known which party leaked the official letter. However, if it was an internal party, the team will impose sanctions, considering whether the violation is categorised as severe, moderate, or light. “Of course, the departure of the Minister and his delegation depends on his priorities, whether he can leave the priorities at home if the trip proceeds. But what is certain is that until this moment, the Minister’s priorities remain post-disaster recovery, preparation for the completion of people’s schools, and preparation for facing El Niño,” he concluded.