Prabowo Explains Why He\u2019s Establishing URI Amid \u2018Deep State\u2019\nConcerns<\/p>\n
Reporter<\/p>\n
September 17, 2026 | 03:35 pm<\/p>\n
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said the\ndecision to establish the Universitas Republik Indonesia (URI) was\ndriven by concerns over human resources quality and coordination gaps\nacross government institutions.<\/p>\n
Prabowo said URI would help prepare future government leaders and\nadministrators based on ability and a merit-based system.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to improve all our institutions. If there is a lack of\nsynchronization between institutions and there is a gap, as you said,\nthat is our challenge. We have to fix it,\u201d Prabowo said on the Presiden\nPrabowo Menjawab program, broadcast Wednesday, September 16, 2026.<\/p>\n
The Gerindra Party chair said the government needed concrete measures\nto address the problems. He said institutional reform should go beyond\nstructural changes and also focus on the quality of the people working\nwithin government institutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat steps can we take to improve recruitment, evaluation,\ndevelopment and preparation? That is what we are doing. That is why,\namong other things, I established the Universitas Republik Indonesia,\u201d\nPrabowo said.<\/p>\n
URI to Prepare Future Government Leaders<\/p>\n
Prabowo said URI was designed to include institutions focused on\ndeveloping leadership and government administration. One of them is the\nNational Institute of Public Administration (LAN), which he said would\nbe revamped and incorporated into the URI ecosystem.<\/p>\n
He said LAN was originally established with a clear purpose of\npreparing competent government administrators. However, he argued that\nover time, the institution had become more focused on fulfilling formal\nrequirements in bureaucratic career progression.<\/p>\n
Prabowo also referred to France\u2019s model for educating public\nadministrators through the \u00c9cole Nationale d\u2019Administration (ENA). He\nsaid institutions responsible for preparing government administrators\nshould have a rigorous selection process and uphold a merit-based\nsystem.<\/p>\n
Through URI, the government will seek top graduates from universities\nacross the country, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year, we will gather those with the highest IQs, and these are\nthe people we will prepare,\u201d Prabowo said.<\/p>\n
Prabowo Raises \u2018Deep State\u2019 Concerns<\/p>\n
In explaining the rationale behind URI, Prabowo also raised the issue\nof a \u201cdeep state,\u201d which he described as a group of bureaucrats who\nbelieve they are beyond accountability because they have held power in\ngovernment for a long time.<\/p>\n
Prabowo said URI would be part of efforts to train government\nofficials before they take office. He argued that such education was\nimportant to ensure officials understand their responsibilities and can\nalign their work with government policies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to be brave, in the sense that there should be no\nuntouchable bureaucrats. There have been cases where, whether they were\naligned with a minister, a power holder or whoever, there were director\ngenerals who could not be touched,\u201d Prabowo said.<\/p>\n
Read: Prabowo Confident Village Cooperatives Will Boost Economy by\n2027<\/p>\n
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