Purbaya Tops List of Most Popular Ministers: Idsight Survey
Jakarta. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has been named the most favored cabinet member in the Prabowo administration, according to a new study by Indonesia Social Insight (Idsight).
Based on Idsight’s analysis of social media sentiment between Sept. 24 and Oct. 3, Purbaya earned an overwhelmingly positive rating of 83.7 percent, while 12.5 percent of responses were neutral and only 3.8 percent were negative.
“Despite being in office for only about a month, Minister Purbaya has become the public’s top favorite among Prabowo’s aides,” said Idsight’s Communication Director Johan Santosa in Jakarta, Thursday.
Johan said Purbaya’s outspoken and hands-on leadership style had quickly made him a “people’s favorite.” His early policy moves, including the allocation of Rp 200 trillion ($12 billion) from excess budget funds to state-owned banks for productive loans targeting labor-intensive industries and MSMEs helped fuel optimism about cleaner governance and stronger economic recovery.
“His blunt criticism of cigarette excise issues and frustration over Pertamina’s slow refinery projects received widespread public support,” Johan added. “He also projected economic growth of 6–8 percent and called on Gen Z to ‘get rich together.’”
Following Purbaya, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman ranked second with a positive sentiment of 72.3 percent. His popularity rose following a surge in national rice production, reaching 33.1 million tons between January and October, as the government eyes self-sufficiency in food within the first year of the Prabowo-Gibran administration.
At third place, Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar received 60.2 percent positive sentiment for his work promoting religious harmony and swift response to the Al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school collapse, where he called for stricter building standards.
Chief Infrastructure Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) followed in fourth place with 58.7 percent, while State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi scored 57.4 percent, earning praise for being the administration’s public communicator during a year marked by protests and communication missteps.
Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin also received 53.8 percent positive responses, bolstered by his assertive military image and accelerated defense procurement. Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti (56.8 percent) and Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf (52.5 percent) were credited for implementing the People’s School program initiated by President Prabowo.
Meanwhile, Chief of for Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto scored 53.3 percent, with public appreciation for his efforts to maintain economic stability.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni rounded out the list at 50.2 percent, receiving praise for advancing social forestry programs and indigenous land recognition, in line with Prabowo’s vision for sustainable and inclusive development.
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