Jokowi to Trim 2015 Budget for Official Trips, Meetings by 40%

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, Nov 24, 2014

President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla (center) seen with
 governors from across the country, at the Bogor Palace on Monday. (Antara
Photo/Andika Wahyu)

Bogor. President Joko Widodo said on Monday that he would trim the budget for official trips and meetings by nearly 40 percent next year, and use the funds saved for the development of remote provinces.

“I’ve told my ministers to trim as many funds as possible from the 2015 state budget, because it is inefficient,” the president told a meeting of regional governors and other officials at the Bogor Palace. “For instance, the budget for official trips and meetings stands at Rp 41 trillion [$3.4 billion] and I’ve instructed to bring this down to Rp 25 trillion.”

According Joko, who is popularly known as Jokowi, Rp 25 trillion should be more than enough to cover the state expenditure for official trips and meetings, which he estimated would amount to not more than some Rp 22 trillion.

The budget cut of Rp 16 trillion would be used to develop the infrastructure in provinces across the country, Joko said, citing the building of dams and irrigation systems and improvement of border markers as examples.