Indonesia's public debt - as a percentage of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) - currently stands at 27 percent, or roughly IDR 3,200 trillion (approx. USD $241 billion). This debt is manageable and actually quite low compared to other key emerging economies or advanced economies. For example, Malaysia's and Brazil's public debt-to-GDP ratios reached 56 percent and 70 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the ratios of the USA and Japan stand at 105 percent and 246 percent, respectively. However, the level of debt is not that important. The important question is how is this debt used?

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As Indonesia's budget deficit may widen to 2.78 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015, the government is ready to seek USD $5 billion through multilateral loans and private placement. Scenaider Siahaan, Director for Strategy and Debt Portfolio at the Finance Ministry's Directorate General of Debt Management, said it involves standby loans that can be disbursed in the two weeks ahead if needed. The main reason why the budget deficit may be wider than expected is Indonesia's weaker-than-estimated tax revenue.

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The government of Indonesia plans to issue (foreign currency-denominated) global bonds worth USD $10 billion to cover a shortfall in the 2016 State Budget. These global bonds would be part of a total of IDR 510 trillion (approx. USD $37 billion) worth of bonds that the government plans to sell in 2016. Scenaider Siahaan, Director of Borrowing Strategy at Indonesia's Finance Ministry, said about USD $4 billion of these global bonds are US dollar-denominated. For such bonds, the government usually appoints Bank of America Merrill Lynch, CIMB, Citigroup, and HSBC as book-runners.

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