Petitioner of the Wantimpres Law Highlights Bloated Structure of Presidential Advisors, Reaching 36 Members

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The petitioner for a material review of Article 7, paragraph 1 of Law Number 64 of 2024 concerning the Presidential Advisory Council (Law Wantimpres) highlights the "bloated structure" of the presidential advisory body, which totals 36 members.

"Currently, there are 10 Special Presidential Advisors whose functions are not significantly different from that of Wantimpres," the petitioner stated, as reported by the Constitutional Court's website on Tuesday (20/10/2026).

"When combined with the 26 members of Wantimpres, the total comes to 36 individuals advising the President. This strengthens the petitioner's claim that having an unlimited number of Wantimpres members presents no real urgency," said the petitioner.

The petitioner argues that this unlimited addition of advisors could risk repeating the historical expansion of advisory bodies, as seen during the era of the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) in the past, which could number as many as 60 individuals.

"This historical experience indicates the risk of a significant increase in the number of members in the presidential advisory council when there is no firm limit on the number of members established," the petitioner noted.

The bloated structure of the advisory body is considered to directly affect the potential, unmeasurable burden on the State Budget (APBN).

Given that the salaries and facilities of the advisors are financed by state funds amid a rising deficit in the 2026 budget.

Therefore, the petitioner argues that limiting the number of Wantimpres members to a maximum of nine is a fair solution that accommodates the President's discretion without neglecting budget efficiency principles.

"The most fair and constitutional synthesis is not to eliminate the limitation entirely, but to combine that flexibility with a maximum cap of nine members based on the President's needs, ensuring that the President's discretion is protected without violating efficient APBN governance," the petition stated.

This matter of material review has been officially registered with the Constitutional Court under case number 389/PUU-XXIV/2026 as of Friday, October 16, 2026, filed by Riziq Maulana.

In its request, the petitioner asks the Court to grant all requests and state that Article 7, paragraph (1) of Law No. 64 of 2024 is conditionally contrary to the 1945 Constitution as long as it is not interpreted to mean that the Presidential Advisory Council consists of one Chairperson who also serves as a member and several members whose number is determined based on the President's needs, not exceeding nine members, while considering the effectiveness of government administration and the efficiency of the APBN.