TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has neither confirmed nor denied the rumors of her resignation from President Joko Widodo or Jokowi's cabinet. She was also tight-lipped when asked about any disputes with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.

“I am just working,” Sri simply said when met at the State Palace after the cabinet meeting on Friday, January 19.

The issue of Sri's departure from the cabinet came into the public spotlight following senior economist Faisal Basri’s statement in a discussion entitled Political Economic Outlook 2024, which was broadcast on YouTube on Monday, January 15. Basri claimed that Minister Sri, Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, and other ministers in the cabinet would step down from their posts.

According to a source cited in Friday's edition of Koran Tempo, the issue was exacerbated by the planned resignation of the Finance Minister’s expert staffer, Yustinus Prastowo. Other sources claim that one of the triggers was the dispute with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto over the defense budget. The latest one was over the purchase of Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters.

Despite these rumors, the State Palace stressed that the cabinet remains united and solid. Ari Dwipayana, the Presidential Special Staff Coordinator, said that all cabinet members are committed to supporting Jokowi until the end of his term. “All ministers in the Indonesia Onward Cabinet remain united and solid,” he said on Thursday, January 18.

Ari declined to comment further on the resignation issue of Sri Mulyani and other ministers.

DANIEL A. FAJRI | VINDRY FLORENTIN

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