Purbaya and Airlangga Meet Prabowo at Palace, Discuss Budget Efficiency?

President Prabowo Subianto has summoned ministers from the economic sector to the Palace in Jakarta this afternoon. What will be discussed?

detikcom observations on Thursday (19/3/2026) show that the ministers attending the meeting include Minister of Investment and Downstreaming Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, and Finance Minister (Menkeu) Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa.

Purbaya has not detailed what will be discussed with Prabowo. “I don’t know, I was invited to the meeting, so I’ll just attend,” said Purbaya upon arriving at the Palace.

When asked about the report he is bringing, Purbaya explained that he always carries materials as a reference for every meeting. However, he also mentioned the possibility of discussions related to subsidies and the condition of the APBN.

“Well, we’re anticipating things like how much subsidies, what the APBN condition is like. That’s what needs to be anticipated. But I don’t know the details of the meeting; I’ll let you know after the meeting,” Purbaya continued.

Regarding the budget efficiency discussion that President Prabowo Subianto raised in a recent Cabinet Session, Purbaya acknowledged that it has already been addressed with the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy. He revealed obstacles in implementing budget cuts in ministries.

“Perhaps… because the efficiency decision has already been discussed previously with the Coordinating Minister for the Economy about efficiency. So later… I don’t know, but roughly like this: I originally asked the ministries to cut themselves, but if told to do so, they don’t want to cut; instead, they increase everything. If possible, I’ll decide how much to cut, and then they adjust. We’ll let them know later,” he said.