Minister of Finance: I’m Pleased Should I Don’t Need to Go into Debt

Denpasar, 20/01/2017 MoF - Minister of Finance (MoF) Sri Mulyani Indrawati delivered a public lecture at Udayana University, Denpasar, Bali on Friday (20/1). On the occasion, the Minister shared her view in order to provide audiences, who were mostly college students, insight on the state's debt management.

'I would be pleased should I don't need to go into debt. But in managing the State Budget (APBN), if you do not want to take loans, that means the revenue should rise higher or the spending should be cut,' the Minister said in her lecture.

On that basis, the Minister invited the students to think logically. 'You cannot say, 'Mam, I want school tuitions to be free, the gas for public transportation should be subsidized, but I don't want you to take any loan. If that's the case, there will be no Minister of Finance but Kanjeng Dimas instead,' the minister joked.

The Minister explained that the country's debt is manageable and should be utilized productively. 'What is the debt for? And is the result tangible or not? If it is tangible, it can be utilized for paying the debt,' she said.(nr / rsa)