Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Prabowo Subianto said Indonesia will not raise the 3-percent deficit limit to gross domestic product (GDP) despite potential economic spillovers from the war in the Middle East.”The deficit limit is a good tool to discipline ourselves. We have no plan to alter it unless we have major emergencies, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the president said in a recent interview with Bloomberg.As confirmed by a Government Communications Agency (Bakom) statement on Monday, Prabowo explained that the deficit limit is an important instrument of discipline for the nation’s fiscal policy established by law.”I hope we will not change it,” he added.In the same interview, the president believed that Indonesia is in a more fortunate situation compared with other countries, as the world is facing uncertainties due to the ongoing war between the United States, Israel, and Iran.Amid the threat of an energy crisis due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Prabowo said Indonesia would optimize its alternative resources, such as palm oil and coal, which are relatively more affordable and can help meet the country’s energy demand.At the same time, Indonesia will also harness renewable energy sources, including geothermal, solar, wind, and biofuels.”If we can overcome this, we will be highly efficient in two years … we will be free, free from dependence on external sources,” he stressed.During a plenary cabinet meeting last week, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto informed the president that it would be “difficult” for Indonesia to maintain the 3-percent deficit limit if the war in the Middle East were to extend beyond six to ten months.Meanwhile, also on Monday, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said that the government is planning another round of budget cuts in ministries and agencies to ensure Indonesia can maintain the deficit limit.