Carrying the mandate as the nation’s leader is no light task, which is why a president’s salary is generally considered to be in line with the weight of their responsibilities.

However, in the early days of the Republic of Indonesia, President Soekarno actually received a salary far from adequate. He officially became president on August 18, 1945, during a period when the country’s economy was in chaos. As a result, he did not receive proper pay or allowances.

In an interview with American journalist Cindy Adams, later compiled into the book Bung Karno: The Mouthpiece of the Indonesian People (1965), Soekarno revealed that his salary as president was only US$220. He also did not own a private house or land.

Because of this, Soekarno moved from one state palace to another. On one overseas trip, an ambassador even bought him a set of pajamas after feeling sorry for the president, who was wearing a tattered nightshirt.

“Is there any head of state as destitute as I am, who often has to borrow money from his aide?” Soekarno told Cindy Adams.

In the same interview, Soekarno also shared that the people once nearly pooled their money to buy him a house. However, he declined the offer, not wanting to trouble them.

When adjusted to today’s value, that US$220 salary would be roughly equivalent to Rp3 million—an amount far below the current salary of Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto.

So, how much does Prabowo earn today?
According to Law No. 7 of 1978 concerning the Financial/Administrative Rights of the President and Vice President and Former Presidents and Vice Presidents, the president’s salary is set at six times the highest base salary of any state official other than the president and vice president.

At present, the highest base salary for such officials—such as the Speaker of the DPR and Speaker of the MPR—is Rp5.04 million per month. Therefore, the president’s base salary amounts to Rp30.24 million per month (6 × Rp5.04 million).

In addition, the president receives an allowance of Rp32.5 million per month. Combined with the base salary, this means President Prabowo’s total monthly income is around Rp62 million.