KSP Clarifies President Prabowo's Remark on Rural Areas Not Using US Dollars

The Chief of Staff to the President, General (Ret.) TNI Dudung Abdurachman, stated that President Prabowo Subianto’s remarks concerning villagers not using US dollars were intended to highlight how rural communities utilise local resources.

“He is a wise leader; his point is that in regional areas, the US dollar is not known. In these regions, people eat using local natural resources,” said Dudung, responding to journalists after inspecting the construction of a ‘Sekolah Rakyat’ (People’s School) in Bekasi Regency, West Java, on Monday.

The head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) noted that villagers primarily rely on local resources such as maize, fish, and poultry that are readily available or developed within their respective areas. “That is the intended meaning; I believe there is no need for an exaggerated response,” Dudung added.

During the same occasion, he also underscored that the weakening of the local currency against the US dollar is a phenomenon experienced by many other nations, not just Indonesia. “But what is clear, according to him, is that food security remains maintained; we are still capable,” Dudung explained.

Previously, during the launch of 1,061 Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative (KDKMP) outlets in Nganjuk Regency, East Java, on Saturday, 16 May, President Prabowo Subianto expressed confidence that Indonesia’s economic fundamentals remain strong despite the Rupiah’s recent undervaluation against the US dollar. “Believe that our economy is strong, our fundamentals are strong. Indonesia is strong. Believe in our strength, believe in our people. All leaders must work for the people,” the President stated.