TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The spokesperson for Defense Minister Dahnil Ahzar Simanjuntak ensured that the defense budget under Prabowo Subianto in 2023 was Rp131 trillion, not Rp700 trillion as claimed by running presidential candidate Anies Baswedan.

"The budget for the Defense Ministry in 2023 is Rp131 trillion, with Rp30 trillion for the weapon equipment. So, mentioning Rp700 trillion is deceiving the public," Dahnil said when called on Monday.

According to Dahnil, the statement presented by the running candidate was not ethical and was intended to merely knock down its political rival.

The defense ministry was allotted a Rp134.32 trillion budget in 2023, with an additional Rp2.4 trillion. In 2024, the government allotted Rp139.26 trillion for the defense ministry.

In total, from the 2020-2024 period, the defense ministry received Rp692.92 trillion.

However, Dahnil claimed, that the fund was not only used for purchasing and maintaining the weapon equipment, but also for soldier welfare, research, and human resource development.

The Defense Ministry budget was highlighted after Anies Baswedan mentioned that the budget for the ministry was Rp700 trillion.

"Rp700 trillion of Defense Ministry budget could not secure (refers to the hacked defense ministry website), but rather was used to purchase secondhand weapon equipment. More than half of our soldiers are not provided with housing," Anies said during the first segment of the debate.

The presidential debate faces Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto, and Ganjar Pranowo on stage to debate topics related to defense, security, geopolitics, international relations, and globalization.

ANTARA

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