Jakarta. The Foreign Affairs Ministry said Friday it would have to comply with the inevitable budget cuts as instructed by President Prabowo Subianto.

But the country’s senior diplomat claimed that the budget trim would have little effect on the government’s efforts to protect the Indonesians abroad, including their assistance for citizens caught in legal cases.

Prabowo has ordered his government to save up to Rp 306.7 trillion ($18.8 billion) in spending for the 2025 fiscal year. 2025 is Prabowo’s first year in power, and sees the launch of his budget-heavy signature free school meal program. The Foreign Affairs Ministry initially got to spend around Rp 9.9 trillion, although it had asked for an additional Rp 4 trillion. Indonesia is seeing its nationals getting caught in legal cases abroad. Most recently, two undocumented Indonesians got caught amid US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Judha Nugraha, the ministry’s director for citizen protection, admitted that his department would have to spend less money.

“As instructed by the president, we will carry out these efficiencies, including in the citizen protection process. But we will make sure to continue handling the cases [involving our citizens abroad]. Our diplomatic missions will also keep providing the public services,”Judha told the press in Jakarta.

When Indonesians get arrested overseas, the government would provide them legal aid such as access to lawyers. Despite the legal assistance, Judha said that it would be up to the local authorities to decide whether they would let them go. Judha said: “The best way for an Indonesian citizen to protect themselves when abroad is to comply with the regulations [of the country they are in].”

Indonesia has repatriated its citizens from conflict-torn countries. Southeast Asia's largest economy has also repatriated many of its nationals entangled in online scam operations overseas.

Earlier that day, the ministry’s spokesman Rolliansyah “Roy” Soemirat gave some comments on the possible impact of Prabowo’s austerity policy. “As part of Prabowo’s administration, the Foreign Affairs Ministry will follow all decisions regardless of the impact and consequences. … We will make the necessary adjustments [to our spending] without cutting [the budget] on the very principal matters,” Roy said.

Both diplomats, however, did not say the exact amount of the budget trim that the Foreign Affairs Ministry had to do this year. When Prabowo rose to power in October, he announced a giant cabinet comprising 48 ministries. Prabowo also split 9 ministries into 21 in his giant Merah Putih “Red and White” cabinet. 

The budget cuts for each ministry varies. As a case in point, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin recently revealed that he had to cut Rp 19 trillion as he instructed senior officials to fly economy when going on business trips. Indonesia originally set aside Rp 105.7 trillion in state budget to the Health Ministry this year. The Religious Affairs Ministry has to slash part of its Rp 78.6 trillion budget by Rp 14.1 trillion.

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