Istana denies rumor Chatib Basri will replace Purbaya
Chatib Basri said he was not offered the post and that his meeting at Istana focused on the economy, not a cabinet change.
Istana denied reports that Muhammad Chatib Basri would replace Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa as Finance Minister in the Red and White Cabinet. State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said there were no plans to replace the finance minister or reshuffle the cabinet. The rumor circulated amid a weakening rupiah and pressure on the stock market. A day after the denial from Istana, Chatib Basri also dismissed the rumor after meeting President Prabowo Subianto at Istana Merdeka, Jakarta, along with National Economic Council Chairman Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, on Tuesday, 9 June 2026. According to Chatib, the meeting discussed economic developments and he attended as a member of the National Economic Council. Purbaya earlier also denied reports of his resignation and said the rupiah's weakening remained within the government’s calculation scenario, with the 2026 state budget assuming Rp 16.500 per US dollar.