NEARLY nine months into his tenure as Finance Minister, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has lost 9 kilograms. He looks thinner, his smile has faded, his brow often furrows when he speaks, and his once blunt manner has softened. He says he is “on a bit of a diet.”

One hopes that claim reflects reality, not a statement from a Finance Minister trying to reassure the public while fiscal conditions are far from sound. Dieting can indeed be good, mak