Purbaya: Prabowo's Comments on the US Dollar were Intended to Entertain
Finance official Purbly Yudhi Sadewa has explained the intent behind President Prabowo Subianto’s statement that people in villages do not use the US dollar. Purbaya stated that President Prabowo’s remarks were made with the intention of entertaining the public. “It was merely to entertain the people there at the time. I viewed the context as being within a rural setting. It is fine to speak in that manner,” Purbaya said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday, 18 May 2026.
The former Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS) emphasised that Prabowo’s words should not be interpreted as the President lacking an understanding of the economic situation. “He was speaking in a rural area; that was the context for the people there. It does not mean the President does not understand the rupiah; he is truly an expert. So, that is the context,” Purbaya remarked.
Purbaya claimed that Prabowo’s remarks gained significant traction because they were widely circulated by the media. “It was the media that magnified it and spread it everywhere,” Purbaya added.
When asked about imported inflation resulting from the depreciation of the domestic currency, Purbaya stated that many people in rural areas do not understand technical economic terms. “Do they really understand imported inflation? How many would understand if it were explained to them? Theoretically, imported inflation is not too significant,” said Purbaya.
During a speech in Nganjuk Regency, East Java, on Saturday, 16 May 2026, President Prabowo Subianto stated he was not worried about the weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar. He assessed that the decline in the exchange rate does not have a direct impact on rural communities. The Chairman of the Gerindra Party noted that many people frequently claim the Indonesian economy is in danger due to the continuous weakening of the rupiah. “Now there are those who always—for some reason I do not understand—keep saying Indonesia will collapse, will face chaos, and so on, right?” he said.
Prabowo urged the public not to be overly concerned with the movement of the rupiah against the dollar. The former Minister of Defence noted that Indonesia’s condition remains stable compared to other nations, particularly in the food and energy sectors. The President responded casually to the situation, noting that villagers do not use foreign currency in their daily lives. Therefore, he is not worried by warnings regarding the weakening rupiah. “The rupiah goes this way, the dollar goes that way. People in the villages do not use dollars, do they?” he remarked.
A day before the speech, during trading on Friday morning, 15 May 2026, the rupiah weakened to the level of Rp 17,600 per US dollar. This figure represents the highest level since the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis.