Golkar: Purbaya Should Concentrate on Iran War Impact, Then Think About State Budget
Jakarta — The Golkar party has advised Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa to focus on mitigating the economic damage resulting from the conflict between Iran and Israel and the United States.
“If you ask me, my advice to Purbaya is that in the current situation, it would be better for him to concentrate on mitigating the economic impact of the turmoil caused by the Iran-US war,” said Golkar party general secretary Muhammad Sarmuji in the Senayan area of Jakarta on Tuesday evening, 10 March 2026.
According to Sarmuji, the economic consequences of the Middle East conflict could potentially lead to fuel price increases. This is what should be Purbaya’s priority.
“Furthermore, with the strengthening of the US dollar, the impact on the state budget is very significant,” Sarmuji continued.
He therefore urged Purbaya to focus more on mitigating the economic fallout from the conflict between Iran, Israel and the US.
The subsidy-related fuel prices must not be allowed to rise as a result of these impacts.
“I haven’t even heard Purbaya speak about this matter, which is very important to his portfolio. The impact is very significant. It will affect subsidised fuel prices,” Sarmuji said.
In essence, according to Sarmuji, Finance Minister Purbaya was asked to focus on carrying out his primary responsibilities amid recent geopolitical turmoil.
“My point is, just focus on the very main tasks of the Ministry of Finance, and only then think about other matters. Think about other things, think about the state budget. But once those core business tasks of the Ministry of Finance have been carried out, then it’s fine to address other problems,” he said.
Finance Minister Purbaya spoke whilst presenting the 2026 state budget for the state budget programme of 335 trillion rupiah.
Purbaya also opened the possibility of state budget efficiency if pressure on the budget increases due to surging world oil prices.
According to him, the government has conducted simulations of various scenarios involving rising oil prices, including if global crude oil prices rise to around 92 US dollars per barrel throughout the year.