The Public Works Ministry is set to face a budget cut of over 70 percent by the Finance Ministry, following President Prabowo Subianto’s instruction to save funds for other priority programs.
he Public Works Ministry is set to face a budget cut of over 70 percent by the Finance Ministry, following President Prabowo Subianto’s instruction to save funds that could could be reallocated toward the administration’s costly priority programs.
Deputy Public Works Minister Diana Kusumastuti said on Friday that a significant cut in her ministry’s budget will affect the progress of public infrastructure developments.
“Yes, everything may be [disrupted]. Not only [construction of] roads, but also dams will be disrupted, irrigation disrupted, buildings will be disrupted,” Diana was quoted as saying by state-owned news agency Antara.
Read also: Govt slashes ministerial, regional spendings to finance welfare programs
President Prabowo Subianto issued on Jan. 23 a presidential instruction that mandates all ministries and state agencies to identify spending items that could be cut to raise an estimated Rp 306 trillion (US$18.7 billion).
About a week after the instruction’s issuance, a document that recapped detailed budget cuts of government ministries circulated on social media, though the Finance Ministry claims it was not part of any official document.
However, some government officials verified the respective budget numbers in the document, including Diana.
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