Villagers Do Not Use Dollars, DPR Says — It Is To Reassure the Public

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Chair of Commission XI of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mukhamad Misbakhun, has responded to President Prabowo Subianto’s statement about ‘people in rural areas not using dollars’. He contends that the President’s remarks were merely intended to reassure the public amid concerns over the depreciation of the rupiah. ‘What the President said is an effort to calm the public. Do not read it too literally,’ Misbakhun told reporters after a working meeting with the Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) at the DPR RI Complex in Jakarta, on Monday (18 May 2026). He said the President’s statement is essentially to reassure the public by portraying that Indonesia’s economic fundamentals are strong. This includes evidence such as economic growth in the first quarter of 2026, which reached 5.61 percent year on year. ‘The President’s endeavour is to maintain public calm. Implicit in the message is also a request to BI not to let the rupiah weaken further. Why? Because what the President means is not to pit the rich against the poor,’ he explained. Misbakhun argued that Prabowo’s statement actually prevents the public from panicking about the rupiah’s depreciation. He believes Prabowo does not want the emerging debate over rupiah weakness to trigger unwanted consequences, such as political instability. ‘(For example) There could be political instability if people are busy discussing rumours of this kind. The rupiah might rise because of this factor, and there would be impacts,’ he added. ‘This is the President’s aim: to reassure the people. Reassuring the people is a very normal task for a President; he is our leader,’ he remarked.