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Questions remain as 2025 budget moves closer to approval
The government and the House of Representatives are one step closer to inking the 2025 state budget bill, but the draft leaves many questions unanswered regarding the impending government transition and funding for key projects.
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Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati (center), National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa (right) and Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo (left) attend a meeting with the House of Representatives' Budget Committee (Banggar) at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta on Sept. 4, 2024. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
T
he government and the House of Representatives are one step closer to signing off on the 2025 state budget bill, but the draft leaves many questions unanswered regarding the impending government transition and funding for key projects.
During a joint budget meeting on Tuesday, House Budget Committee member Dolfie Othniel Frederic Palit raised the issue that there was no annex detailing programs and functions for the allocation for ministries and government agencies.
“What will we agree on today? We don’t know the programs and their budgets. We know the [budget ceiling] for ministry and government agency spending, but we don’t know [the budget] for each [one],” said Dolfie.
The lawmaker then referred to Article 15 of Law No. 17/2003 on state finances, which states that the state budget approval must include details on “organization units, functions, programs”.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati argued that details on programs and functions had been included in the Financial Notes – a document the budget plan is based on – and that there was “not enough time” to compile the latest updates on them.
“We must not insert article stipulations that will halt the new government just because of attachments. That’s what I’m concerned about,” said Sri Mulyani in the meeting.
The House and the government eventually considered the issue settled by virtue of a stipulation that allows for more detailed provisions to be included after the draft is passed into law.
