The budget efficiency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) has led to a reduction of Rp 65 billion in the budget allocated for the protection of Indonesian citizens (WNI) abroad. Kemenlu Secretary General Cecep Herawan stated that the initial budget for the WNI protection program was Rp 288 billion. "For the protection program of Indonesian citizens abroad, we have made an efficiency cut of about Rp 65 billion, which is approximately 22.4 percent, bringing the final budget down to around Rp 223 billion," Cecep mentioned during a meeting with Commission I at the DPR RI building in Central Jakarta on Thursday (February 13, 2025).
In addition to the cuts for WNI protection abroad, Indonesia's role and leadership in multilateral cooperation also faced budget reductions. "From the initial budget of Rp 1.05 trillion, we implemented an efficiency cut of about Rp 562 billion, or 53.3 percent, resulting in a final budget of around Rp 493 billion," Cecep added.
Furthermore, there were reductions in the diplomacy and international cooperation program, where the initial budget of Rp 779 billion was cut by Rp 196 billion, or 25.1 percent, leaving approximately Rp 583 billion. For management support programs, the initial budget of around Rp 7.75 trillion saw an efficiency cut of Rp 1.20 trillion, or 15.5 percent, resulting in a final budget of Rp 6.55 trillion. "For the enforcement of sovereignty and international law and agreements, the initial budget of around Rp 15 billion was reduced by Rp 4.1 billion, or 27.7 percent, bringing it down to Rp 10 billion," Cecep explained.
Additionally, it is important to note that Kemenlu's budget has been cut by Rp 2 trillion from the established budget of Rp 9.8 trillion for 2025. "We have also just received a letter from the Minister of Finance detailing the efficiency figures for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which amount to Rp 2,032,137,571," Cecep stated. "(This figure) includes an efficiency in goods spending of Rp 1,491,450,829,000 and an efficiency in capital spending of Rp 540,686,742,000," he added.