Minister of Finance Purbaya: President's statement about the Dollar is only to comfort the people

JAKARTA - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said President Prabowo Subianto's statement about villagers not using US dollars was aimed at comforting people in rural areas when the rupiah exchange rate weakened.

"To entertain the people at that time. I saw the context in the countryside yesterday, it's okay to say so," said Purbaya as reported by ANTARA, Monday, May 18.

According to Purbaya, the public does not need to misunderstand the President's words. He emphasized that President Prabowo understands the national economic conditions when the rupiah broke through the level of Rp17,600 per US dollar.

He explained that technical explanations regarding macroeconomic conditions, such as the impact of imported inflation, would be difficult to digest if they were delivered directly to the general public in rural areas.

Purbaya also asked the public to remain calm because the current fundamental economic and fiscal conditions of Indonesia are still very well maintained.

"Our economic fundamentals are good, our finances are good. Tomorrow I will meet the press on the state budget. Our state budget, which some economic magazines say is in a mess. No, we are very good," he said.

According to the Minister of Finance, the government is implementing a strategy that is not only based on government spending, but also actively mobilizing the private sector. This strategy has succeeded in driving Indonesia's economic growth to 5.6 percent in the first quarter of 2026.

The Minister of Finance explained that the largest contribution to the 5.6 percent growth was contributed by consumer spending of 2.9 percent, followed by investment of 1.7 percent, and government spending of 1.3 percent.

"So the one who drives and contributes the largest contributor to growth is people's spending, their purchasing power is still quite good," said the Minister of Finance.

Purbaya claimed the achievement of economic growth at the beginning of this year as an extraordinary achievement because it occurred in the midst of global economic shocks.

He assessed that the acceleration of economic growth in the fourth quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year was the fruit of reform policies that were executed in a timely manner by the President before the global turmoil.