TII Reveals Findings on Socks Procurement at Ministry of Social Affairs Worth Rp 2.72 Billion
A researcher from Transparency International Indonesia, Agus Sarwono, has refuted the Ministry of Social Affairs’ statement claiming that the socks procurement was included in the shoe package for Sekolah Rakyat students. He assessed that the claim is inconsistent with official government procurement data.
“That statement is untrue and misleading to the public, as it directly contradicts the official procurement data,” said Agus when contacted on Tuesday, 5 May 2026.
Based on data from INAPROC, Agus stated that the socks procurement was conducted separately from shoes, both in the planning and budget realisation stages.
In the 2025 fiscal year, the Ministry of Social Affairs recorded plans for socks procurement with a budget ceiling of Rp 2.72 billion, realising approximately Rp 2.71 billion through seven e-purchasing packages. A similar pattern re-emerged in 2026 with a realisation value of more than Rp 2.4 billion from an initial ceiling of Rp 6.8 billion. “This data refutes the narrative that socks were already included in the shoe package,” he said.
Agus assessed that the discrepancy between officials’ statements and budget data is not merely a communication error, but has the potential to form a misguided public opinion and cover up issues in state expenditure governance.
He also highlighted the slim difference between the budget ceiling and realisation in 2025, which he deemed high-risk for corruption practices in procurement.
According to him, if socks were indeed part of the shoe package, there should not have been a separate procurement worth billions of rupiah repeated across fiscal years.
“This separation shows that from the outset, the item was not integrated, either in terms of planning, specifications, or contracts,” said Agus.
Agus questioned the reasons behind the narrative differing from procurement facts, including who benefits from the package separation scheme. He also assessed that the government has not yet provided transparent explanations based on data to the public.
In addition, he reminded that the e-purchasing mechanism used in the procurement is not entirely free from corruption risks. In practice, this method is often used in various deviation modes.
Some risks highlighted include the potential for mark-up of catalogue prices without market comparisons, vendor locking through specific specifications, package splitting to avoid oversight, and repeated spending without evaluation of real needs.
Agus assessed that these risks could grow larger with new policies in goods and services procurement that provide greater flexibility to budget users. “Without strong transparency and strict oversight, the room for deviations becomes even more open,” he said.
Separately, Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf or Gus Ipul said his side is still checking the data regarding TII’s findings. “I can’t answer yet. We have to check first,” said Gus Ipul on Tuesday, 5 May 2026.
Previously, Gus Ipul had shown details of the Sekolah Rakyat school shoe procurement that was going viral. It was stated that there are various types of shoes, including socks procurement provided for Sekolah Rakyat students originating from the Ministry of Social Affairs procurement.
There are student PDL shoes, PDH shoes for junior and senior high school, PDH shoes for elementary school students, sports shoes (for teachers and students), PDH teacher shoes, daily elementary school shoes, daily junior and senior high school shoes, and socks (socks procurement is already included in the price of each shoe).
Procurement price details:
Student PDL shoes: Rp 700 thousand
PDH shoes for junior and senior high school: Rp 700 thousand
PDH shoes for elementary school: Rp 700 thousand
Sports shoes (teachers and students): Rp 500 thousand
PDH teacher shoes: Rp 700 thousand
Daily elementary school shoes: Rp 500 thousand
Daily junior and senior high school shoes: Rp 500 thousand
Socks: included in shoe procurement
Realisation prices:
Student PDL shoes: Rp 640 thousand
PDH shoes for junior and senior high school: Rp 610 thousand
PDH shoes for elementary school: Rp 590 thousand
Sports shoes (teachers and students): Rp 447 thousand
PDH teacher shoes: Rp 625 thousand
Daily elementary school shoes: Rp 250 thousand
Daily junior and senior high school shoes: Rp 300 thousand
Socks: included in shoe procurement