Sudden Reshuffle: 'Cowboy Minister' Replaced by Suahasil

Many were taken by surprise by the news of Purbaya’s removal as Minister of Finance. Several social media accounts even uploaded footage of the moment Sri Mulyani’s replacement received a telephone call from the Palace whilst attending a meeting with the Regional Representative Council (DPD RI).

Officially, Purbaya ceased to serve as Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia on Monday afternoon (14/9). The moment was marked by the swearing-in of Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara as Purbaya’s replacement by President Prabowo.

Ironically, the dismissal came not long after Purbaya had celebrated one year in the ministerial post. On this matter, the figure nicknamed the ‘Cowboy Minister’ had also given an exclusive interview to detikcom, broadcast on detikSore on Thursday (10 September 2026).

In that broadcast, Purbaya answered a number of questions, ranging from his ‘cowboy’ style of speaking, which he described as ‘by designed’, to the fate of the debts of the high-speed railway that will become a burden on the state budget (APBN).

Purbaya also stressed that he was still ‘on track’ with the 8 per cent economic growth championed by President Prabowo. According to him, the Indonesian economy was generally still moving in a positive direction.

“Our policies are right. President Prabowo’s policies are right. You can see it — there is the Iran war, there is turmoil with high oil prices, yet we remain stable with growth improving above 5 per cent quite significantly. In the first quarter we rose above 5 per cent. That is the highest in recent years,” said Purbaya on detikSore.

Regarding the reshuffle, a number of parties have noted that this makes three changes at the helm of the nation’s treasury within two years of Prabowo’s leadership. After Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, the state’s finances will now be managed by Suahasil Nazara.

Quoting a summary from the Finance Ministry’s website, Suahasil is no newcomer to the ministry. He served as a member of the Minister of Finance’s Assistance Team for Fiscal Decentralisation from 2009 to 2011. During this period, he was also Coordinator of the Policy Working Group at the Secretariat of the National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction, and Deputy Chair of the Oversight Committee for the Implementation of Regional Autonomy until 2015.

After serving as a member of the National Economic Committee in 2013-2014, Suahasil was appointed Head of the Fiscal Policy Agency on a permanent basis on 31 October 2016, before being promoted to Deputy Finance Minister in the Onward Indonesia Cabinet in October 2019.

Answering journalists’ questions after being sworn in as the new Finance Minister, Suahasil said he would maintain the health of the state budget and keep the deficit below 3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“The deficit will remain below 3 per cent,” Suahasil asserted on Monday (14/9/2026).

What, then, are the challenges ahead for Suahasil, which the President judged Purbaya could not deliver?