Indonesia's Prabowo asks Sri Mulyani to remain as finance minister

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati is set to become the first Indonesian to hold the role of finance minister under three different presidents, after she confirmed on Monday (Oct 14) that President-elect Prabowo Subianto had asked her to remain in her post under his administration, with a focus on strengthening on state finances.

The 62-year-old former World Bank managing director was one of more than 45 ministerial candidates, interviewed by Mr Prabowo at his private residence in South Jakarta on Oct 15 as he finalised his ministerial picks. 

"He asked me to serve as the finance minister again," Mdm Sri Mulyani told reporters, as quoted by Jakarta Globe.  According to local media, Mdm Sri Mulyani’s meeting with the President-elect lasted longer than those of many other candidates. Mdm Sri Mulyani also revealed that it was not the first time Mr Prabowo had discussed next year’s budget with her. 

"We have had several discussions about the state budget, as my team drafted the 2025 budget during this transition period. It was important for me to understand the priorities of the president-elect and vice president-elect," Mdm Sri Mulyani explained, as quoted by the Jakarta Globe.

"I think what (Prabowo) conveyed has remained consistent: guard state finances, particularly revenues and spending," she conveyed to reporters after the meeting. 

Mdm Sri Mulyani first became the country’s finance minister in 2005 during Mr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s presidency, before resigning in 2010 to serve as the managing director of the World Bank.

In July 2016, she was reappointed finance minister by President Joko Widodo and has since kept the role until today.

She has also won plaudits for reforming the taxation system and for her role in steering Southeast Asia's biggest economy through several crises, including the pandemic.

Speculation before this has been rife about who will be Mr Prabowo's finance minister after the president-elect's comments earlier this year on plans to take on more debt set local bond and currency markets on edge.

Mr Prabowo will be inaugurated as president on Oct 20.