DIGIVESTASI - BRI Supports Proposal for Social Assistance Budget Increase Up to IDR 100 Trillion, Supari, Director of Micro Business at PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. (BRI), has expressed support for the proposal by Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Muhaimin Iskandar, who called for an increase in the social assistance (bansos) budget to IDR 100 trillion by 2025. Supari explained that a decline in public purchasing power has been noticeable since last year after the government ceased the social assistance provided during the Covid-19 pandemic. He noted that during the 2020–2022 period, purchasing power remained stable due to this aid.

Therefore, Supari supports the proposal to boost the social assistance budget to enhance public purchasing power. "Perhaps the social assistance budget needs to be increased by IDR 100 trillion. What Minister Muhaimin [Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment] mentioned is very important, so that public purchasing power can grow, and I am confident that the impact will return to the national economy," Supari stated at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.

Supari revealed that during his visits to various regions in Indonesia, such as Makassar and Padang, many MSME (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) actors complained about a sharp decline in their income. According to him, the drop in MSME revenue is directly related to the weakening purchasing power of the public.

"In the markets I visited, their turnover has decreased by 40% to 60%. This is a fact we cannot ignore. That is the current condition of [MSMEs]," Supari said.

Nevertheless, Supari remains optimistic that flagship programs under President Prabowo Subianto's administration will help drive economic recovery. One program he mentioned is the free nutritious meal program, which involves MSMEs and has the potential to boost their revenues.

Previously, Coordinating Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, also known as Cak Imin, expressed hope that the social assistance budget could be raised to IDR 100 trillion in 2025. He believes this could be achieved if all ministries and agencies implement President Prabowo's directives on budget efficiency and addressing budget leaks.

"The President has repeatedly emphasized the importance of efficiency and closing all types of budget leaks. We hope this succeeds, and hopefully, by 2025, there will be an additional social assistance budget of up to IDR 100 trillion," Cak Imin said during a speech at the Sentul International Convention Center (SICC), Bogor, West Java, on Thursday, November 7, 2024.

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