Puan: 2027 State Budget must protect people's purchasing power

House Speaker Puan Maharani has stated that the formulation of the 2027 State Budget (APBN) must provide tangible benefits to the public, maintain purchasing power, and support business continuity. “The APBN is a political choice; it is about where the nation’s resources are directed, who is prioritised, and what benefits the people must feel,” Puan said in her speech at the DPR RI Plenary Session opening the First Sitting Period of the 2026–2027 Session Year in Jakarta on Friday. Puan noted that the expenditure figure for the 2027 APBN, to be presented by President Prabowo Subianto, is approaching Rp4,000 trillion. “Perhaps none of us have ever seen so much money, nearly Rp4,000 trillion. That figure is so large, indeed very large,” she said. “The APBN is not only measured by the size of the budget that can be spent; the APBN must be assessed by its performance in meeting the people’s expectations and the number of lives it can change for the better,” she added. Puan emphasised that the 2027 fiscal policy theme, ‘Grow Higher, Prosper Faster’, must be interpreted as a commitment to unite growth with equity, and economic progress with social justice. During the session, President Prabowo Subianto delivered a state address presenting the government’s introduction and remarks on the Draft Law concerning the 2026 State Budget along with its Financial Note.