Gaspol Today: Nation Forgotten Amid Rupiah Weakness – What Can the Middle Class Do?

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar is attributed to both external and internal factors.

Externally, geopolitical dynamics such as the Iran-US conflict and rising global oil prices are at play.

Domestically, various political and social issues have eroded market confidence.

‘We have made the market lose trust in us, we have caused people to pull their money out of our own country,’ said public policy analyst Yanuar Nugroho during the Gaspol! podcast aired on YouTube by Kompas.com on Saturday, 30 May 2026.

In such circumstances, Yanuar stated that the government must not only think of interventions to strengthen the rupiah.

Equally important is having well-calibrated public communication.

Yanuar highlighted President Prabowo Subianto’s remarks such as ‘villagers don’t use dollars’ and ‘Indonesians don’t dream of becoming rich’.

‘It cannot be casual. Especially when these statements have technocratic and development implications,’ he added.

Yanuar further noted that in the current economic climate, the middle class is the most vulnerable group.

‘If there is a social class that feels abandoned and left behind, thinking “oh well, life is whatever”, it is the middle class,’ he said.