East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas'ud has defended the purchase of a Rp 125 million massage chair amid public criticism. He said it is needed because he often drives himself on long trips. The budget is part of the province's official 2024/2025 plan.
Rudy Mas'ud explained that he often drives the official car himself over thousands of kilometers. His trips start before sunrise and end after sunset. "The massage chair is there, the massage chair was indeed provided there. Poor the Governor traveling by car himself with trips of thousands of kilos. We actually never publish when we travel, we leave before the sun rises. The sun has set, we haven't arrived yet. Driving the car myself again," he said on a YouTube channel on April 26, 2026.
His staff felt sorry seeing his fatigue and occasional loneliness at home. He stressed the chair was not a sudden addition but part of the official East Kalimantan Provincial Government budget for 2024/2025. "That is the 2024-2025 budget," he stated.
The criticism follows controversies over a Rp 25 billion official residence renovation and Rp 8.5 billion official car purchase. On April 21, large demonstrations occurred in East Kalimantan over local budget bloating. Rudy Mas'ud appreciated public aspirations without apologizing, hoping people pray for him instead of bullying. "Now so that the people, the leader should be prayed for, not bullied," he said.
