Prabowo’s 26-member advisory board faces legal challenge over bloated size
The Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres) is facing a legal challenge at the Constitutional Court over its unlimited number of members, with a petitioner arguing that President Prabowo Subianto’s recent appointment of 26 advisers risks burdening the state budget.
The Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres) is embroiled in a legal dispute at the Constitutional Court regarding its unrestricted membership size. Law graduate Muhamad Riziq Maulana, who filed a petition, contends that President Prabowo Subianto's appointment of 26 advisers could strain the state budget. The court granted a judicial review petition on October 16, challenging Article 7(1) of the 2024 Wantimpres Law that permits a president to set the number of advisory board members without any upper limit.
Maulana seeks to reinstate a nine-member cap from the previous 2006 law, arguing that the absence of a limit could enable the council to grow without adequate justification, particularly since Prabowo also has a team of special advisers. He contends that the government already employs ten presidential special advisers, whose duties are similar to advisory board members, and that the total number of individuals advising the President would then reach 36.
Maulana suggests that reinstating the nine-member limit would help balance professional expertise while maintaining fiscal responsibility, noting that an adviser receives up to Rp 76.5 million (US$4,237) monthly in compensation.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
