Rupiah Weakens; Prabowo: 'Villagers Don't Use US Dollars'

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is not worried about the weakening of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar. Prabowo believes that the decline in the rupiah's exchange rate does not directly affect rural communities.

The Gerindra Party chair believes that many people often state that Indonesia's economy is in danger because the rupiah continues to weaken. "Now there are always, I don't know why, some people who keep saying that Indonesia will collapse, will cause chaos, or something else. Well, right?" he said in Nganjuk, East Java, on Saturday, May 16, 2026.

Prabowo asks the public not to worry too much about the movement of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar. The former Minister of Defense noted that Indonesia is in a better position than other countries, particularly with regard to food and energy.

Prabowo also casually responded to the situation because rural communities do not use foreign currency in their daily lives. Therefore, he is not worried about people's warnings about the weakening rupiah. "The rupiah is like this, the dollar is like that. People in the villages don't use dollars, right?" he said.

In Friday morning's trading on May 15, 2026, the rupiah weakened to 17,600 per U.S. dollar. This is the highest it has been since the 1997-1998 Asian monetary crisis.

The Director of PT Traze Andalan Futures, Ibrahim Assuaibi, predicts that the exchange rate of the rupiah will break the level of 18,000 per U.S. dollar in May 2026. "If it reaches Rp18,000 in May, there is a high possibility that the rupiah will break the level of 22,000 per U.S. dollar," he said in his statement on Friday, May 15, 2026.

Ibrahim considers that the last two days, Thursday-Friday, May 14-15, 2026, were a test for Indonesia. This is because the geopolitical tension in the Middle East continues to escalate during the trading holiday due to a public holiday.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi contributed to the writing of this article

Read: Rupiah Weakens to 17,600 per US Dollar Following Shift in Fed Leadership

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