Purbaya: Indonesia Has Multi-Layered Defences, Not Reliant on IMF and World Bank Funds
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has emphasised that Indonesia possesses strong fiscal resilience and does not rely on assistance from international institutions amid global uncertainties.
According to him, Indonesia’s current fiscal position is supported by a substantial budget buffer, enabling it to withstand external pressures without depending on foreign aid.
“The IMF has prepared funds for countries in need, but I’m staying put. Because I have plenty of money, with Rp 402 trillion,” Purbaya stated in an exclusive interview with KompasTV on Friday (17/4/2026).
“He only has perhaps 20–40 billion US dollars, the same as the World Bank. So it’s equivalent to our money, but theirs is to be divided among many countries, while we have it for ourselves. Thus, our defences are sufficiently multi-layered compared to others,” he said.
Purbaya explained that this strength stems from disciplined fiscal management, particularly in keeping the budget deficit below the safe threshold of 3% of gross domestic product (GDP).
He acknowledged that some parties had doubted the government’s ability to maintain the deficit amid global pressures and national spending needs.
“The key point is, they didn’t believe we could keep the deficit below 3%. I firmly stated that it is President Prabowo Subianto’s policy and we will not violate it,” he remarked.
The government, he continued, has prepared various adjustment measures to keep the deficit under control without sacrificing economic growth.
“Proof is in 2025, when people thought the deficit could reach 3.4–3.5%, but we managed to control it. In the initial report, it dropped to 2.9%,” Purbaya said.
Moreover, he estimated that the actual realisation of the deficit could be even lower than the interim figure.
“But the real number will apparently be below 2.9%, perhaps around 2.8%,” he stated.
With this achievement, Purbaya assessed that Indonesia is capable of managing its budget efficiently while maintaining high economic growth rates.
Finance Minister Purbaya stressed that Indonesia’s fiscal management model has even become an example for other countries, as it balances budgetary discipline with economic growth.
“We also told the IMF and others that we can spend efficiently, but our growth is faster than countries in the region,” Purbaya said.
According to Purbaya, Indonesia is currently one of the countries with high economic growth in the group of developing nations, while still keeping its fiscal deficit relatively low compared to others.