Purbaya Clarifies Rp44 Billion Emergency Response Fund for NTT

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has clarified that the central government’s Rp44 billion fund used for disaster emergency response is not a new budget allocation.

Previously, Purbaya had asked the regional government in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) to use the funds first. However, according to Purbaya, many parties assumed the funds were a special allocation newly disbursed for handling the NTT earthquake.

Purbaya explained that the Rp44 billion is an emergency response fund for all regional governments and was already allocated in early August in accordance with the President’s directive.

“There was a misunderstanding; I added Rp44 billion, but that amount was already sent in early August as central government assistance to the regions on the instruction of the President,” Purbaya said at the DPR building on Thursday (20/8/2026).

He also revealed that the regent in NTT may have forgotten to account for the transfer.

“So what the regent said about only having a few hundred million rupiah, it turns out he most likely forgot to count the new transfer,” he said.

Furthermore, specifically regarding the earthquake disaster in NTT, Purbaya said the Minister of Home Affairs has already submitted the required amount to the Ministry of Finance. Purbaya stressed that his ministry is simply waiting for approval from the President. Nevertheless, he assured that the budget availability is adequate and does not threaten the government’s fiscal position.

“We are waiting for approval from the State Secretariat and the President, but the amount is still manageable, so it does not threaten our budget,” he explained.