Heaptalk, Jakarta — The Presidential Palace announced on Tuesday (08/13) through the Presidential Staff Office that the cost of the 79th Independence Day ceremony in the Nusantara Capital (IKN) reached Rp87 billion, approximately US$5.6 million (US$1 equals Rp15,606).
Minister of State Secretariat Pratikno acknowledged that the 79th Independence Day commemoration budget is larger than in previous years as the ceremony will be held in two locations, IKN and Jakarta. “Yes, since the ceremony is now held in two places, certainly, the budget is larger than before,” Pratikno said after a meeting at the Ministry of State Secretariat building.
However, Pratikno did not provide details on the additional budget he mentioned. Adding to Pratikno’s statement, Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP) Moeldoko emphasized that the cost of the Independence Day commemoration at IKN should not be considered expensive, as everything has been accounted for and justified.
“I want to clarify. The most important thing in government is accountability and transparency. Hence, as the evidence shows, everyone knows the cost is not like usual,” Moeldoko explained. According to him, the inflated cost of the Independence Day celebration was due to situational issues at IKN, where some facilities still need to be improved.
He added, “We are holding it here, where relatively little everything is in place, making the cost depend on market price mechanisms. It’s not us who determine it.” In conclusion, Moeldoko stated that everything is relatively inexpensive regarding Indonesia’s independence.
