Indonesia's National Library (Perpusnas) will get only Rp377.9 billion in 2026, nearly half of last year's Rp721 billion, its head told the House of Representatives. The cut has already forced the agency to shut down a program that shipped books to villages, community reading centers, prisons and health clinics, Perpusnas chief E. Aminudin Aziz said.

Aminudin made the disclosure during a hearing with Commission X of the House of Representatives at the House building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday, July 16, 2026, chaired by Commission X head Hetifah Sjaifudian.

"It's true that with such a drastic budget cut, literacy-related work has been disrupted. For example, as already mentioned, this includes book assistance," Aminudin told lawmakers.

A welcomed book program grinds to a halt

The hardest-hit initiative is the distribution of quality books to underserved areas, targeting villages, community reading centers, prisons and health clinics. Each site received about 1,000 books during 2024 and 2025. Residents in those areas, especially outside Java where access to bookstores and city libraries is limited, have lost one of their few sources of free reading material from the central government.

"We launched an initiative in 2024 and 2025 to distribute books to every village, community reading center, prison and health clinic, 1,000 books per site. It was welcomed extremely well, used very effectively, and got an overwhelmingly positive response. In 2026 we can't do this because there's no money," Aminudin said.

What has the budget cut halted?

Two of Perpusnas's main programs have stopped entirely in 2026: book distribution to villages, reading centers, prisons and clinics, and physical Special Allocation Fund (DAK) assistance for regions. DAK is a central-to-regional transfer that Perpusnas has used to fund library building construction, renovations, IT equipment and furniture.

Aminudin said requests for physical DAK assistance keep coming in from regions, but Perpusnas has no budget to meet them. "The DAK assistance mentioned earlier, buildings, renovations, IT equipment, none of that is possible either. We can't provide library furniture even though regions are asking loudly for it," he said. Local governments that have long relied on central support to upgrade library facilities now have to find other funding or delay their plans.

The lowest point in five years

Perpusnas's budget stayed relatively stable from 2022 through 2025: Rp660 billion in 2022, Rp714 billion in 2023, Rp725 billion in 2024, then Rp721 billion in 2025, before dropping to Rp377.9 billion in 2026. This year's decline isn't a normal fluctuation within that range. It's the lowest point in the past five years.

The Rp377.9 billion figure also needs to be read as more than a comparison with last year's initial ceiling. Of the Rp721.6 billion originally budgeted for 2025, Rp132 billion was blocked by the government midway through the year, leaving an effective budget of Rp589.5 billion, of which Rp583.2 billion, or 98.93 percent, was ultimately spent. In other words, the Rp377.9 billion set for 2026 is about 36 percent lower than what Perpusnas actually spent in 2025, not just half of the nominal ceiling.

Praise in parliament, a different reality on the ground

At the same hearing, Commission X chair Hetifah Sjaifudian praised the agency's performance. "Perpusnas has still managed to show dedication, innovation and maintain service quality," Hetifah said, as quoted by Antara. Her remarks came alongside Aminudin's own account that two of the agency's flagship programs, book distribution and physical DAK, cannot run at all this year.

The 2026 budget cut is part of a central government spending efficiency policy that has been in place since 2025, forcing nearly every ministry and agency to cut non-priority budget items. Perpusnas felt the pressure earlier, when Rp132 billion of its 2025 ceiling was blocked midway through that year, well before the much lower 2026 ceiling was set.

What to watch

Several factors will shape the future of Perpusnas's literacy programs:

  • Whether Commission X proposes a budget reallocation or increase during deliberations on the revised state budget or the 2027 draft budget.
  • Perpusnas's alternative plans for running literacy programs without funding for physical book distribution and DAK, including strengthening digital platforms such as iPusnas.
  • The possibility of a similar mid-year budget freeze in 2026, following the pattern seen in 2025.