Teddy Clarifies Facts Regarding Prabowo's Overseas Visits: Additional Costs Borne Personally

Jakarta, VIVA – Lt Col Teddy Indra Wijaya has refuted claims that President Prabowo Subianto’s overseas visits are placing an excessive burden on the state budget. Amid public scrutiny regarding the intensity of Prabowo’s international travels, Teddy emphasised that all costs exceeding the state allocation are borne directly by Prabowo using his personal funds.

This explanation was provided by Teddy in response to feedback from former Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal regarding the frequency of the President’s foreign visits. According to Teddy, such criticism and input are worthy of respect, given they come from a senior diplomat with extensive experience in international relations.

“Furthermore, because I was mentioned by Ambassador Dino, I wish to clarify several matters. Firstly, thank you for the input provided; it was very precise and structured. I believe he is a great diplomat, having served as Deputy Foreign Minister, even if only for about three months,” said Teddy via an Instagram post from the @sekretariat.kabinet account, as quoted on Tuesday, 2 June 2026.

Teddy then highlighted one of the most frequently debated issues whenever Prabowo travels abroad: the matter of state travel expenses. He asserted that the current financing mechanism differs from the perception circulating among the public.

“Firstly, the issue of costs when going abroad. This has been explained several times,” he stated.

According to Teddy, President Prabowo decided from the outset to personally cover all expenditures that exceed the official state budget. “Therefore, any excess costs that have been budgeted by the state are entirely borne by President Prabowo personally,” he added.

In addition to the costs, Teddy revealed a significant change in the composition of the presidential entourage during the Prabowo era. He noted that the number of delegates accompanying overseas visits is now much leaner compared to the previous administration.

“Secondly, the size of the entourage. This is very important. President Prabowo’s entourage has been drastically reduced—by more than half of the previous period,” he explained.

Teddy explained that in the previous period, a single presidential overseas visit could involve more than 120 people in the official delegation. However, this number has now been drastically cut to only about 50 to 60 people.