Facing Global Challenges: Prabowo's Strategy For Stability And Prosperity

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, Oct 10 (Bernama) -- Indonesia’s Defence Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto emphasised the importance of a smooth leadership transition and outlined his vision for the country’s future at the BNI Investor Daily Summit 2024. He highlighted the need for cooperation and self-sufficiency to ensure national stability and prosperity.

In his address at the end of the two-day Summit, here Wednesday, he stated: “During this transition period, I feel immensely supported by President Joko Widodo and his team. As I work on assembling the new cabinet, I have noticed that many of the incoming ministers are also part of the current cabinet.”

bootstrap slideshow

The former military general with elected Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka will be inaugurated on October 20 for the 2024-2029 term, succeeding outgoing Joko Widodo and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin.

Prabowo plans to build a strong government by forming a large coalition, asserting that Indonesia’s vastness necessitates a substantial cabinet to represent diverse groups. He also stressed the need for cooperation to ensure political stability amid global geopolitical tensions.

He acknowledges the current uneasy climate, citing conflicts in Ukraine, potential nuclear threats, the situation in Gaza that could spread across Lebanon and to Iran, as well as escalating tensions in Taiwan, between China and Japan, and in the South China Sea.

He stated, “I have always wanted to engage in dialogue and foster cooperation. The ancient teaching that ‘a thousand friends is too few, one enemy is too many’ is not just a slogan, it’s a principle I live by,” reinforcing his commitment to a collaborative approach.

Prabowo noted the urgent need for Indonesia to become food self-sufficient and stressed the importance of food sovereignty, as a nation should be able to feed its people without depending on imports.

He recalled his warnings about the dangers of dependence on imports, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when countries like India, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia halted food exports.

“We have no choice but to become self-sufficient in food,” he stated, expressing confidence that this goal can be realised within four years of his taking office on October 20.

Prabowo, aware of the urgent need for energy independence, also noted that dependence on fuel imports is unsustainable and raised concerns about predictions of an Israeli attack on Iranian oil fields and Iran’s threats of retaliation against the United States’ allies, questioning, “Can we imagine what the price of oil would be if that happens?”

He also aims to transform Indonesia's abundant natural resources, such as gold, into high-value products, generating jobs and boosting the country's global market standing.

He advocated for targeted subsidies and effective social programmes to reduce poverty, stating, “We must improve equity across the nation and have the courage to correct our system, ensuring that Indonesia’s wealth is shared by all, not just a privileged few.”

Prabowo cautioned against relying on superficial economic measures, stating, “Economic tricks are too slow; President Joko Widodo has demonstrated effective interventions to support the most vulnerable, helping us manage inflation.”

Finally, he stressed the necessity for self-correction, pointing out that there is still a lot of corruption and inefficiencies within the system, and urged, “We must confront these challenges boldly with an integrated and comprehensive approach, acknowledging our difficulties, facing them head-on, and working diligently to resolve them.”

-- BERNAMA