Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar said on Monday that his ministry will limit unnecessary official visits to achieve budget efficiency.
The move aligns with an instruction from President Prabowo Subianto to ensure the budget has a greater direct impact on society, he said at the commemoration of World Anti-Corruption Day in Jakarta.
Umar explained that official visits generally do not have much impact on the interests of the state, institutions, and society.
"We reviewed research data on the positive impact of official visits. Based on a comparison of targets and their implementation, the positive impact is only 0.5 percent," he said.
He appealed to officials to utilize online meeting platforms, saying that the use of such digital technologies would have a greater impact than official visits.
He made the statement due to the significantly large costs incurred when official visits are carried out by groups.
"Why should we bring a group if it can be done by two or three people?" he said.
Umar said that if efficiency is implemented, the budget can be redirected to more impactful initiatives, especially for the benefit of the people.
"Let's save. Allocate a budget for the welfare of our small employees and the community in need. Do it proportionally and legally to avoid any issues," he added.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Katriana
Editor: Anton Santoso
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