TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto has urged bureaucrats not to act on their own whims during his administration. Prabowo has instructed civil servants to refrain from taking too much initiative outside the direct guidelines set by the president and his cabinet ministers.
Prabowo stated that complications arise when the government leadership has already established a clear policy, only for additional regulations to crop up at the lower levels. He described such independent initiative as a form of disordered bureaucracy.
The Gerindra Party chair conveyed these instructions during a speech at a plenary session of the House of Representatives (DPR) on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. "Do not take too much initiative. We have already received orders from the president and from the ministers, yet you create more rules at the lower level," he said at the Parliament complex in Jakarta.
The former defense minister suspected that bureaucrats who act on their own accord may do so to extort and disrupt businesses seeking permits in Indonesia. As a result, he noted, the licensing process across the country has become sluggish.
Prabowo compared the lengthy business licensing process in Indonesia with that of neighboring countries. "If Malaysia can issue permits within two weeks, why does it take two years for us? Embarrassing!" he exclaimed.
He referred to these disobedient bureaucrats as actors of a deep state, or a state within a state. According to Prabowo, they feel immune to accountability because they remain entrenched in the bureaucracy even when the president and ministers change following general elections.
Prabowo instructed his cabinet ministers to remain vigilant. "I remind all ministers, discipline your bureaucracy from within! Beware of those bureaucrats, because they have a lot of experience," he warned.
Prabowo attended the DPR plenary session to present the macroeconomic framework and the main points of fiscal policy (KEM-PPKF). The eighth president of Indonesia became the first head of state to directly present the KEM-PPKF to parliament.
Prior to this event, Prabowo had also highlighted these deep-state actors as disruptors within his administration. He previously discussed the matter during an interview with several journalists and analysts on March 17, 2026.
Read: Prabowo Slips up on Teachers' 300% Wage Hike: What's the Truth?
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