CELIOS’ Response to the Prabowo-Gibran ‘Oversized Cabinet’ Plan: Fiscal Burden, Lack of Cabinet Substance

Presiden terpilih Prabowo Subianto telah memanggil calon menteri, wakil menteri, dan kepala badan untuk mengisi posisi strategis, tetapi analisis CELIOS menunjukkan mayoritas calon berasal dari kalangan politisi (55,6%) dan pendukung Prabowo-Gibran (72%). Hanya 15,7% adalah profesional teknokrat, sementara keterwakilan perempuan hanya 9,3%. Galau D. Muhammad, peneliti CELIOS, menekankan bahwa “Semakin banyaknya wakil menteri yang diangkat berarti akan meningkatkan belanja negara. Semua tanggungan ini semakin memperparah kerentanan fiskal.”

Fenomena ini juga berpotensi memperlebar ketimpangan. Achmad Hanif Imaduddin, peneliti CELIOS, menyoroti bahwa “Meskipun gaji menteri relatif kecil dibandingkan jabatan lain, posisi ini dapat membawa dampak ekonomi yang luas, seperti kenaikan nilai saham perusahaan yang dimiliki oleh menteri yang dapat dilihat sebagai manfaat dari akses kekuasaan.” Jumlah menteri Indonesia yang mencapai 46 jauh lebih banyak dibanding negara dengan populasi besar seperti AS dan China, yang justru menunjukkan risiko birokrasi yang membengkak dan pemborosan anggaran.

Media Wahyudi Askar menegaskan masalah meritokrasi: “Alih-alih memilih berdasarkan keahlian dan rekam jejak profesional, jabatan tersebut kini cenderung dibagi-bagikan berdasarkan kepentingan politik, termasuk posisi wakil menteri yang dulu sering diisi oleh profesional kini diberikan kepada kader partai politik.” CELIOS menekankan perlunya penguatan pengawasan anggaran dan transparansi melalui BPK, KPK, dan MA untuk memastikan akuntabilitas, menghindari pemborosan, dan menciptakan pemerintahan yang bersih serta berorientasi pada kepentingan rakyat.

Elect president Prabowo Subianto has summoned candidates for ministerial, deputy ministerial, and agency head positions, but CELIOS analysis shows that the majority are politicians (55.6%) and supporters of Prabowo-Gibran (72%). Only 15.7% are technocratic professionals, while women represent just 9.3%. CELIOS researcher Galau D. Muhammad emphasized, “The more deputy ministers appointed, the higher the state expenditure. All these spent further worsen fiscal vulnerability.”

This phenomenon also risks widening inequality. CELIOS researcher Achmad Hanif Imaduddin noted, “Although ministerial salaries are relatively small compared to other positions, these roles can have broad economic impacts, such as increases in the value of companies owned by ministers, which can be seen as a benefit from access to power.” Indonesia’s 46 ministries far exceed the number in large countries like the US and China, highlighting the potential for bureaucratic expansion and budgetary waste.

Media Wahyudi Askar stressed the meritocracy issue: “Instead of selecting based on expertise and professional track record, these positions tend to be distributed based on political interests, including deputy minister positions that were previously filled by professionals now given to party cadres.” CELIOS emphasizes the need to strengthen budget oversight and transparency through Supreme Audit Agency, Corruption Eradication Commission, and Supreme Court to ensure accountability, prevent waste, and create a clean government focused on the public interest.

Narahubung / Contact Person :
Media Wahyudi Askar (08118215000)

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