JAKARTA - Former Finance Minister Muhammad Chatib Basri denied speculation linking his meeting with the President at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta with an offer to enter the cabinet or become Finance Minister.
After the meeting, Chatib Basri emphasized that the discussion conducted with the President and the National Economic Council (DEN) focused on economic issues.
"No. When ... we discuss the economy," said Chatib Basri when answering a reporter's question about the issue of being offered the position of Minister of Finance, Tuesday (9/6).
Chatib Basri's name has recently been discussed again in various speculations regarding his strategic position in the economic field. His appearance at the Presidential Palace Complex also sparked questions about the possibility of the former Minister of Finance under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono entering the cabinet.
However, Chatib Basri did not give room for speculation. When asked again to confirm whether there were talks about him becoming Minister of Finance, he just laughed and ended his answer. "Hahahah... makasih ya," he said.
Chatib Basri also refused to elaborate further on the results of discussions related to economic conditions, including when asked about the rupiah exchange rate and the possible impact of Bank Indonesia's interest rate hike on the domestic currency.
"Ask Mr. Perry," he said, referring to Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo.
He also did not answer when asked if he had previously communicated with the President before attending the meeting.
Regarding the participants of the meeting, Chatib denied that he was in the same forum as Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
"No, no, no. It was the same as DEN. Thank you," he said.
Until this news was written, there was no official statement regarding the discussion materials in the meeting. However, Chatib ensured that the agenda discussed was related to economic conditions, not a discussion about his position in the cabinet.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
