Prabowo Warns of Greedy Elites Deliberately Impoverishing Indonesians

August 6, 2025 | 04:29 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta -  President Prabowo Subianto warned that Indonesia is being exploited by economic actors who prioritize profit over public welfare.

Speaking at a full cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 5, 2025, he claimed these groups deliberately keep the population poor.

“These players believe the people must remain impoverished. They suck Indonesia’s wealth like it’s blood,” Prabowo said.

The president emphasized that neither he nor his cabinet would fall for such manipulation.

“We’re not naive. We can no longer be deceived,” he asserted.

Prabowo criticized those who seek personal gain while the government offers them opportunities to contribute positively to the economy. He contrasted their motives with the government's goal of national development.

He stressed the critical role of food security in national strength. “No country can be truly independent and sovereign without the ability to produce its own food,” he said, reiterating his belief that a nation's power lies in its capacity to feed its people.

Prabowo suggested that Indonesia's decision to focus on food self-sufficiency has drawn external threats, with some countries allegedly attempting to destabilize the nation through food-related pressures.

Nonetheless, he expressed confidence in the government's ability to withstand such challenges, crediting the stable transition from former President Joko Widodo's administration.

He also praised several government bodies for their support in strengthening food resilience, including the Agriculture Ministry, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri), the Attorney General’s Office, and the Finance Ministry.

Earlier, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman had committed to achieving self-sufficiency in rice, corn, and soybeans.

However, the effort faces significant hurdles. Indonesia currently produces only 700,000 to 800,000 tons of soybeans annually, far below the national demand of 2.5 to 2.7 million tons. The country still needs to import between 1.2 and 1.5 million tons to fill the gap.

Amran cited several obstacles to food self-sufficiency, including widespread irrigation damage. During field visits across the country (similar to former president Jokowi’s hands-on approach) he discovered that 52 percent of irrigation infrastructure is in poor condition.

Of the 7.1 million hectares of irrigated farmland, much of the equipment hasn’t been rehabilitated in over 25 years and suffers from a lack of maintenance.

He also noted poor seed absorption, with only about 20 percent of the allocated Rp1.56 trillion budget being utilized effectively. Additionally, fertilizer distribution remains inconsistent and often delayed.

“Delays of just two weeks can push harvests back by an entire year,” Amran said.

Zed Abidin contributed to the writing of this article.

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