Purbaya: Prabowo Understands the Rupiah, Do Not Misinterpret

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has defended statements made by President Prabowo Subianto regarding rural communities, which noted that villagers do not use the US dollar. According to Purbaya, the President’s remarks were made within the context of discussing the economic conditions of rural communities and village cooperatives, rather than in the context of the global economy.

“The context was there in the rural areas; it was appropriate for that setting. It was not in an international context, right? He was speaking about village cooperatives,” Purbaya told reporters at the Directorate General of Taxes (DJP) in Jakarta on Monday (18/05/2026).

President Prabowo made these remarks during the inauguration of the operationalisation of 1,061 Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperatives in Nganjuk Regency. Despite the controversy, Purbaya urged the public not to misinterpret the President’s statements, asserting that Prabowo understands the condition of the rupiah and national economic dynamics.

On the same occasion, Purbaya also sought to reassure market participants and the public regarding the stability of the rupiah. He even remarked that as long as he remains smiling, Indonesia’s economic condition remains good. “If I am smiling, the economy is good, and the rupiah is also good. That is why I keep smiling,” Purbaya said.

Previously, President Prabowo stated that people living in villages do not extensively use the US dollar. He added that amidst global dynamics causing panic in other nations, Indonesia remains observed to be stable and performing well. “I am sure there are those who constantly claim—I do not understand—that Indonesia will collapse, will face chaos, and so on. The rupiah is like this, the dollar is like that, but the people in the villages do not use the dollar,” he stated, as quoted from the KompasTV YouTube channel.