April 16, 2026
JAKARTA – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has said that no new procurement of electric motorcycles for the free nutritious meal program will proceed in 2026 and pointed to internal miscommunication as questions linger over past approvals and spending priorities.
Purbaya acknowledged that confusion within the Finance Ministry had contributed to mixed signals over the plan.
Initial information he received, he said, did not accurately reflect developments on the ground.
“I checked again last night, and there are no purchases this year. So there will be no more procurement,†Purbaya said at the ministry on Thursday, as quoted by Kompas.
He added that the budget proposal for the motorcycles may have been submitted before he took office, which could explain why part of the plan had already been approved.
“As far as I remember, I had asked, and it was rejected, but it turns out some had already gone through,†he said, attributing the discrepancy to internal miscommunication.
The clarification comes after public scrutiny of a plan to procure tens of thousands of electric motorcycles for kitchen coordinators, raising concerns about spending efficiency in a flagship social program.
Despite Purbaya's remarks, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which oversees the free meals program, maintained that all procurement processes were conducted in accordance with established procedures and had received the necessary approvals.
BGN head Dadan Hindayana said the procurement process involves multiple layers of oversight, including reviews by the Government Internal Supervisory Apparatus (APIP), before final approval is granted by the Finance Ministry.
“In the payment process, everything is approved by the Finance Ministry,†he said in a press release issued on Wednesday.
He added that the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) focused primarily on evaluating program outcomes rather than technical procurement specifications, underscoring a division of roles across institutions.
With that mechanism in place, Dadan said, the agency ensured transparency and accountability in managing state funds.
Government data show that the BGN has already procured 21,801 electric motorcycles out of a planned 25,000 units, at an estimated cost exceeding Rp 1 trillion.
The vehicle, identified as the Emmo JVX-GT, is an electric motorcycle designed for both on-road and off-road use, is produced by domestic manufacturer PT Adlas Sarana Elektrik and sold for around Rp 50 million.
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto argued that the policy reflected misplaced priorities and contradicted President Prabowo Subianto's emphasis on efficiency and strengthening domestic industry.
He described the large-scale procurement as wasteful and pointed to inconsistencies between the high-level policy direction and the implementation on the ground.
“The procurement of electric motorcycles by the BGN, along with the purchase of pickup trucks for the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives program, is not in line with President Prabowo Subianto's commitment to developing the domestic manufacturing and automotive industry,†he said on Thursday in Yogyakarta as quoted by Kompas.
Beyond the BGN motorcycle procurement, the government has also moved ahead with large-scale vehicle imports through state-owned PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara (APN), which has previously announced plans to import up to 160,000 pickup trucks for the cooperatives program, sourced from India, with additional supplies to come from Japan and China.
