Chatib Basri Arrives at Palace to Meet President Prabowo, Speculation Mounts

Former Finance Minister Chatib Basri was seen at the Presidential Palace complex in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, 9 June 2026. Based on observations, Chatib arrived around 3:35 p.m. WIB wearing a yellow shirt. His arrival at the Palace coincided with the arrival of the Chair of the National Economic Council (DEN), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. Chatib admitted his visit to the Palace was to meet President Prabowo Subianto. ‘I want to meet (Prabowo), right,’ he explained. When asked what he would discuss with President Prabowo, Chatib asked the media to question Luhut. ‘Ask Mr Luhut. He is there, there is a crowd,’ he stressed. Chatib also declined to answer when his name was widely mentioned as a candidate for Finance Minister to replace Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa. ‘I do not know,’ he insisted. The meeting with President Prabowo, he said, would be accompanied by Luhut. Previously, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa spoke out regarding the issue of his resignation from the Red and White Cabinet, which has been widely circulating since Thursday, 4 June 2026. Amid speculation developing among market players and journalists, Purbaya stressed he had no plans to leave his post and remained committed to carrying out his duties in accordance with the direction of President Prabowo Subianto. The statement was delivered directly while leading the APBN KITA Press Conference at the Ministry of Finance, Central Jakarta, on Friday (5/6/2026), a day after news of his resignation spread widely via chain messages. ‘Do I advance or retreat? I prefer to advance. So no, I do not know where that gossip began. I am not the type of person who likes to retreat, I like to advance like this. There is nothing to it, that issue is probably unfounded,’ said Purbaya. In the circulating message, it was stated that Purbaya would announce his resignation at Wisma Danantara on Thursday afternoon. However, by the time the specified time passed, there was no agenda or official statement supporting the news.