Chatib Basri Denies Being Offered Finance Minister Post by President Prabowo

Senior economist Chatib Basri has firmly denied rumours that he was offered the position of Finance Minister by President Prabowo Subianto. The statement was made by Chatib after answering a summons from the Head of State at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon.

Chatib explained that his meeting with President Prabowo was purely to discuss the current economic conditions and developments. He dismissed the circulating speculation regarding a cabinet reshuffle, particularly for the state treasurer post.

“There was no (offer to become Finance Minister). We discussed the economy,” said Chatib, as reported by Antara on Tuesday.

The former Finance Minister under Indonesia’s 6th President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also clarified that his presence at the Palace was not in a personal capacity, but rather alongside the ranks of the National Economic Council (DEN). He stressed that he was not in the same forum as Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who has also been widely rumoured to be in the running for the Finance Minister candidacy.

“The Health Minister? Oh, he wasn’t there. I was just with the DEN,” he added, referring to his presence with DEN Chairman Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

The issue of replacing the Finance Minister surfaced alongside news of Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa’s resignation from the post. However, Purbaya had previously signalled he would remain in the cabinet according to the President’s direction. In the APBN KiTa press conference on Friday, Purbaya affirmed his commitment to continue carrying out the duties of the fiscal authority.

In line with this, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi asserted that the government currently has no plans to replace the Finance Minister. According to him, the government’s current focus is on strengthening coordination among economic authorities to maintain stability and support national growth amidst market dynamics.