Purbaya: Fuel Price Stability Remains Under Control

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that the government is ensuring the availability of oil fuel (BBM) and gas in Indonesia is safe and affordable by keeping the 2026 State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN) deficit under control.

According to him, the stability of BBM and gas prices, including those subsidised by the APBN, remains controlled to date because it has been carefully calculated by the government. “So we are not ABS, asal bapak senang (just to please the boss), but everything is well accounted for,” Purbaya said in Jakarta on Friday, 27 March 2026.

He explained that these calculations are not based on assumptions designed to please certain parties, including President Prabowo Subianto.

Purbaya noted that when global oil prices temporarily exceeded US$100 per barrel, President Prabowo questioned Indonesia’s fiscal condition, given that the 2026 APBN macro assumptions set the reference oil price at US$70 per barrel.

In response to that question, Purbaya said he immediately presented data on Indonesia’s fiscal capacity to mitigate global volatility. He conveyed that even with high oil prices, over the course of a year, fiscal resources are still able to withstand the pressure while keeping the deficit below the safe limit set by the State Finance Law, namely 3 percent of GDP.

Purbaya emphasised that the government never panics in facing such situations, but instead uses a measured approach without relying on uncalculable figures.

He stated that the government ensures all policies are based on a disciplined quantitative approach, while upholding the principles of APBN credibility and fiscal discipline.