After Handing Over Military Equipment to TNI, Prabowo Asks Purbaya: How is the Dollar?

President Prabowo Subianto briefly questioned the condition of the US Dollar with Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa. This moment occurred following a ceremony for the handover of various military-grade weaponry (alutsista) to the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI).

The handover ceremony, led by Prabowo, was held at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on Monday (18/5/2026). Following the photo session, Prabowo was seen gathering and engaging in dialogue with several high-ranking officials.

Present at the location were Foreign Minister Sugiono, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Djamari Chaniago, Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto. Several leaders from Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) were also seen conversing, including the Chairman of Commission I Utut Adianto, Vice Chairman Budi Djiwandono, and Anton Sukartono.

Meanwhile, Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, and Minister of National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas Rachmat Pambudy were also seen observing the discussions.

As he prepared to depart, Prabowo shook hands with the attending officials one by one. While greeting Purbaya, Prabowo posed a question regarding the condition of the dollar, though no immediate reaction was seen from Purbaya.

“How is the dollar?” Prabowo asked.

Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, standing behind Prabowo, interjected by noting that Purbaya was preparing to depart for the Hajj pilgrimage.

“He is about to go on the Hajj, Sir,” Sjafrie remarked, pointing towards Purbaya.

“Going on the Hajj?” Prabowo replied.

According to reports, the exchange rate of the US Dollar against the Rupiah has shown further strengthening. The currency of the United States has now breached the range of Rp 17,600 per US Dollar in morning trading.

Based on Bloomberg data on Monday (18/5/2026) at approximately 09:10 WIB, the US Dollar exchange rate was recorded at the level of Rp 17,658. This figure represents an increase of 61 points, or approximately 0.35%, compared to the previous period.

This condition simultaneously marks the weakest point for the Rupiah’s exchange rate against the US Dollar in history. The strengthening of the US Dollar is also being observed against several other global currencies.