Against Serakahnomics and Fiscal Impact

In his speech, President Prabowo introduced the terminology "Serakahnomics"This term is used to describe the predatory economic behavior of corporations or individuals who not only seek profit, but plunder the nation's wealth by abusing the rule of law and bribing the bureaucracy for decades.

"This is the end of the nation's losses. Those who adhere to 'serakahnomics' dare to insult the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and assume that officials at every echelon can be bought," the President said firmly.

From a fiscal policy perspective, this asset recovery is not just a number on paper. Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa explained that these confiscated funds will be classified as Non-Tax State Revenue (PNBP). This fresh fund is a strategic instrument to maintain the health of the State Budget (APBN).

The mechanism is that these funds can be used directly to cover the budget deficit if it approaches the 3 percent threshold, or stored as saving (state savings) for strategic spending in the following year, such as school construction and disaster infrastructure.

Academic Criticism: Between Transparency and Gimmick

Despite the outpouring of appreciation, the method of "showing off cash" sparked critical discourse among legal academics. Researcher at the Center for Anti-Corruption Studies (Pukat) of Gadjah Mada University, Zaenur Rohman, assessed that the substance of corruption eradication does not lie in the physical pile of money.

Withdrawing trillions of rupiah in cash from banks just to display it has high security risks and logistical inefficiencies. Zaenur emphasized that transparency in law enforcement performance in the modern era should be based on digital systems and data accountability, not physical visualization alone.

"The publication effort is important, but money in cash creates its own difficulties in the banking system. The public still understands the performance of the authorities if the transparency is clear, even if the money remains in the holding account," said Zaenur.

Furthermore, he reminded that the biggest challenge of asset recovery (asset recovery) is at the execution stage, not the ceremonial one. Often, court decisions are difficult to execute because the convict's assets have been transferred, laundered (money laundering), or hidden abroad.