The president made the statement at the commemoration event of the 112th anniversary of Muhammadiyah in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday, aired through the YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat.
This directive aligns with the president's broader strategy of reducing expenditures on activities deemed primarily ceremonial or celebratory in nature.
Prabowo explained that specifically for official overseas travel, it turned out that the activities so far have cost up to US$3 billion annually.
He noted that if overseas work travel can be reduced by up to 50 percent, then the budget can be channeled to complete various priority programs, such as infrastructure development and the Free Nutritious Meals program.
"I want it to be reduced by 50 percent. If it can be reduced by 50 percent, we can save Rp15 trillion (around US$940 million)," he remarked.
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The president elaborated that budget efficiency measures within his administration had also been studied by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani and her ministry's deputies, and it turned out that several celebratory or ceremonial events could be eliminated so that the existing budget could be focused on priority programs.
Regional leaders are expected to take similar steps to meet people's interests promptly through program realization.
"To this end, I ask the elected governors and elected district heads to be strict, efficient, and reduce things that are not critical; critical for the people's interests," he emphasized.
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Translator: Livia Kristianti, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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