Jokowi said in a plenary meeting on the implementation of the 2023 State Budget at the Presidential Palace on Monday that that the three government institutions must carefully select their vendors so that the government did not overspend on maintenance and upkeep.

"Please be careful. Don't buy too much. If we can get maximum benefit, then that's fine, but if not and we have to spend too much on maintenance, up to Rp 21.5 trillion, then we need to take a closer look. Our state budget must remain healthy," Jokowi said.

Jokowi also said that defense and law-enforcement agencies should refrain from engaging in wasteful spending as other government agencies needed funding for basic infrastructure.

"The Defense Ministry, the police, the Attorney General's Office and the State Intelligence Agency spent Rp 29.7 trillion on procurement of these goods. On the other hand, spending for irrigation, dams only stands at Rp 23.5 trillion," Jokowi said.

Indonesia has long been seeking to replace its aging air fleet, mainly consisting of United States-made F-5 Tiger jets, British-made Hawk 109/209 and Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 jets from Russia.

And since Prabowo Subianto assumed the defense minister position in 2019, the government has been on a major defense spending spree.

The latest deal was made last month, when the Defense Ministry purchased 12 used Mirage 2000-5 jets worth US$792 million (Rp 11.8 trillion) from the Qatari armed forces, which some analysts have criticized as being outdated.

But Prabowo has said that the Mirage jets will merely act as a stop-gap measure to prepare for the arrival of brand-new Rafale fighter aircraft that the Indonesian government expects to join the Air Force in 2026.

While the initial contract Indonesia signed with France early last year is for the purchase of six Rafale jets to be delivered in 2026, the government plans to eventually acquire a total of 42 Rafale jets in a contract worth $8.1 billion.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said that Minister Prabowo had been prudent in using the defense budget and that all its spending and any planned purchases were aimed at strengthening the national defense force, particularly by overhauling its aging air fleet.

"The minister is very careful in spending the state budget, in line with the President's instructions,” Dahnil told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Prabowo has visited a number of countries to negotiate arms procurement, with France being one of the most prominent partners through the Rafale deal.

The ministry had been planning to replace its F-5 Tiger jets with Su-35s, but the plan has been hampered by US sanctions on Russia.

The Defense Ministry is currently negotiating with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to purchase its used Mirage 2000-9 jets, a newer variant of the Mirage jets, and Jakarta is also planning to purchase McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle heavyweight jet fighters from the US.

The House of Representatives approved a record-high defense budget for this year of Rp 134.32 trillion (US$8.75 billion), but only Rp 607 billion of the total budget has been allocated for the defense industry, defense-related research and higher education. (jan)

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