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Minister denies reported 90% cut to Komnas Disabilitas budget
The Social Affairs Minister has dimissed a report that the government's austerity policy had slashed the budget of Komnas Disabilitas over 90 percent, saying the actual cut was a little less than 60 percent and that this would not affect direct assistance for people with disabilities.
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Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf (right) looks on as a recipient of disability aid attempts to stand on his government-donated prosthetic leg on Feb. 1, 2025, during a visit to Banyumas, Central Java. (Antara/Idhad Zakaria)
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ocial Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf has refuted reports suggesting that the budget of the National Commission on Disabilities (Komnas Disabilitas) would be cut drastically as part of President Prabowo Subianto’s government efficiency measures.
The commission was initially allocated a 2025 budget of Rp 6.9 billion (US$416,967), but according to a Tempo.co report on Feb. 11, this was slashed to just Rp 500 million under the government’s austerity policy.
But Saifullah has dismissed the report, saying Komnas Disabilitas still had Rp 3 billion in its budget for this year after the cut.
“The austerity measure [for] the commission will not affect any services related to its main duty and function,” the minister said in a statement issued on Friday.
He also said the President’s instruction to make sweeping cuts across state institutions would not affect funding for social assistance and subsidy programs for people with disabilities, nor would Komnas Disabilitas’ operational budget to disburse aid and supervise recipients.
“Our principle in cutting budgets is to make sure that money allocated for [direct] social aid to people, including the elderly and people with disabilities, will not be cut at all,” Saifullah said.
The ministry’s statement also quoted Komnas Disabilitas commissioner Eka Pratama Widyanta, who said the commission still had enough money, only that it would need to work more effectively and efficiently.
