Jakarta. Newly appointed Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said Monday that the government would address public discontent and social unrest through stronger economic growth, pledging to accelerate expansion to around 6–7 percent.

Speaking at his first press conference since being sworn in by President Prabowo Subianto earlier in the day, Purbaya argued that many of the “17+8” demands voiced by protesters stemmed from economic grievances. He said higher growth would create jobs and improve livelihoods, reducing the appetite for demonstrations.

“If I deliver 6–7 percent growth, those demands will disappear automatically. People will be busy working and eating well instead of protesting,” Purbaya told reporters at the Finance Ministry in Jakarta.

He added that Prabowo had given him direct orders to “generate faster economic growth as soon as possible.” Purbaya said his strategy would be to maximize the fiscal tools already in place rather than overhaul existing systems.

“I won’t dismantle the current framework just to create something new. My approach is to optimize what we already have. Where the system stalls, we’ll fix it; where it works, we’ll accelerate it,” he said.

The remarks came hours after Purbaya officially replaced Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who had led the Finance Ministry for more than a decade across two nonconsecutive terms. Sri Mulyani’s removal was part of a sweeping cabinet reshuffle by Prabowo, who took office in October 2024. Purbaya, 60, previously chaired the Indonesia Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS) and is known for his academic and policy background in economics and finance.

The “17+8” movement, led by student groups and civil society organizations, has called for sweeping reforms ranging from parliamentary accountability and economic policy to law enforcement and curbing state violence. Among the demands are halting salary and allowance hikes for lawmakers, publishing full budget transparency, and advancing the long-delayed asset seizure bill targeting corrupt officials. Protesters have also pressed for an end to the criminalization of demonstrators, withdrawal of the military from civilian affairs, and the release of detained activists.

Purbaya acknowledged the pressure but dismissed the idea of setting a rigid growth target of 8 percent, a figure floated by some politicians. “If I said the economy can grow 8 percent, I’d be lying. But we are moving in that direction as fast as possible,” he said.

His comments came against the backdrop of official data showing that Indonesia’s economy expanded 4.87 percent in the first quarter of 2025 and 5.12 percent in the second quarter. The government has set targets of 5.2 percent growth for 2025 and 5.4 percent for 2026.

His remarks highlight Prabowo’s push to reorient Indonesia’s economic policy away from austerity and toward expansion. The new minister said he would immediately begin mapping out fiscal measures to accelerate growth, promising to “make the old machine work better.”

Purbaya’s appointment was part of broader changes in the cabinet that also affected the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs, the Ministry of Cooperatives, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the newly created Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

Add as a preferred source on Google +