TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto said the income of government officials, including his aides, is relatively modest, but urged them to compare their earnings not with fellow officials, but with Indonesia’s poorest citizens.
He made the remarks during an event marking the handover of forest area law enforcement proceeds in the form of a Rp10.27 trillion administrative fine at the Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
“I understand the generals, the officials, the ministers—I know your salaries are relatively small. But compared to the poorest people?” Prabowo said, according to a livestream from the Presidential Secretariat.
He then added, “So don’t look upward, look at those who are more difficult off than you.”
In the same speech, Prabowo also said he had heard that Indonesian judges now earn more than their counterparts in Malaysia, a statement he attributed to Supreme Court Chief Justice Sunarto.
“Last week, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court met me and told me that he had just attended a meeting of ASEAN Supreme Court chief justices. Then the Chief Justice of Malaysia told the Chief Justice of Indonesia, ‘Your Honor, I admire Indonesia. For the first time, the salary of Indonesian judges is higher than that of Malaysian judges,’” Prabowo said.
The former defense minister under Joko Widodo also said that salaries for junior judges in Indonesia are nearly twice those of their counterparts in Malaysia.
He also asked officials working in the executive and legislative branches of government not to be envious of the judges’ salary increase. Judges’ salaries and allowances have risen by up to 280 percent during his administration.
Prabowo said the salary increase for judges was part of his commitment.
“One of our first steps was to raise the salaries of our judges by almost 300 percent. I wanted 300 percent, but the Finance Minister only agreed to 280 percent. That’s okay,” he said.
He added that, in addition, salaries for court clerks and judicial staff would also be increased.
Sultan Abdurrahman contributed to the writing of this article.
Read: Prabowo Tells Officials Not to Be Envious of Judges' Pay Hike
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