President never asks for state budget funding for BoP contribution

 Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said he had never received instructions from President Prabowo Subianto to use the state budget to pay contributions to the Board of Peace (BoP).

"I never received instructions from the president to provide funds for the BoP," he confirmed during a media briefing at his office on Tuesday.

According to him, Indonesia is not bound by a commitment to pay contributions despite being a member of the BoP, as Prabowo stated.

Within that membership, Indonesia's stated commitments concerned the provision of peacekeeping troops.

"But there is no commitment to pay, especially if it is used for Israel," Purbaya continued.

"So, the president's stance is clear. He joined the board to protect the interests of the Palestinian people as closely as possible," he added.

As previously reported, President Prabowo Subianto said that Indonesia had never promised or committed to donating US$1 billion (approximately Rp17 trillion) to the Board of Peace (BoP) initiated by US President Donald Trump.

The head of state also emphasized that no financial commitments had ever been promised to the United States regarding Indonesia's participation in the BoP.

This, he continued, was evident in Indonesia's absence from the previous founding donors' meeting.

"No, never. At the meeting in Washington on February 19, it was a meeting of founding donors. They each contributed, perhaps some larger, but Indonesia was not there. Because from the beginning, I made no commitment regarding money at all," Prabowo pointed out.

He then stated that Indonesia was ready to be part of the peace council, but only through contributing peacekeeping troops to protect the people of Gaza, not financially.

"We have stated our readiness to send peacekeeping troops as needed," he remarked.

However, Prabowo said the government would continue to monitor developments and, when reconstruction in Gaza could begin, consider the possibility of Indonesia's contribution.