theIndonesian – President-elect Prabowo Subianto is confident that the state budget will be able to finance his priority programs, including free lunch and milk for students and nutrition improvement programs for pregnant women and children.
In front of foreign investors, economic practitioners, and representatives of foreign countries in Doha, Qatar, Prabowo said he was also optimistic that he would be able to keep the state budget deficit to no more than 3 percent when allocating the budget for his priority programs.
“We have studied this. We have calculated the numbers, and we are confident that we will be able to realize that,” Prabowo said while responding to a question from senior journalist Haslinda Amin at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, as followed from Bloomberg TV’s YouTube live stream in Jakarta.
He explained that Indonesia is one of the countries in the world with a low debt-to-GDP ratio. Prabowo also said that Indonesia is also a country that prioritizes the principle of prudence in managing its fiscal.
“Yes, three percent, but the three percent figure is also something arbitrary. Not many countries set that limit, but Indonesia is a country that has a tradition of always being careful in managing its fiscal. Indonesia, I think, is one of the countries with the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the world. And, right now, I think it’s time to be bolder, of course, in implementing good governance,” Prabowo said.
He continued that there are several strategies to manage the budget so that it can be used optimally, including to finance the free lunch and free milk programs.
“We calculate that, and there are methods for refocusing and reducing the budget for non-essential programs. It is a matter of efficiency, good governance, good organization and management,” Prabowo said.
He continued that the current administration led by President Joko Widodo has implemented digitalization and computerization in various government services, including for procurement. Prabowo is also determined to continue that because digitalization can increase efficiency, as well as reduce budget leakage.
“We can save a lot of money by cutting the unnecessary, and this will contribute to growth, this will boost economic growth. So, yes we are very confident,” Prabowo said.
Prabowo Subianto and his partner, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, were confirmed by the KPU as the elected president and vice president on April 24, 2024. The Prabowo-Gibran pair will officially serve as president and vice president of Indonesia for the 2024-2029 period after they are inaugurated on October 20, 2024.
Since he was named president-elect, Prabowo has traveled to several countries to meet with heads of state and heads of government of Indonesia’s partner countries. Some of the countries Prabowo visited include China, Japan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
The Indonesian
