Accelerating Downstreaming, Prabowo Initiates Construction of 13 National Strategic Projects

President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto symbolically initiated the simultaneous construction of 13 national strategic projects (PSN) spread from the western tip of Sumatra to Papua as part of Phase II of Downstreaming, in Cilacap, Central Java, on Wednesday. “Minister Rosan reported earlier that there are 13 strategic projects. These are spread from the far west to the far east of Indonesia. This is proof that development must not be centred only on Java,” said President Prabowo in his speech via the YouTube video of the Cabinet Secretariat in Jakarta. This major step encompasses processing facilities for flagship commodities in various sectors, from energy and metallic minerals to plantations. These giant projects are projected to become the new backbone for Indonesia’s economic growth to compete on the global stage. In the ceremony, the President emphasised that the development of facilities such as fuel tanks in Biak and nutmeg processing in Maluku represents social justice for all the people. According to him, every region must directly feel the impact from the added value of its own natural wealth. The President asserted that Indonesia must dare to process all its domestic natural resources. However, he reminded that the success of these projects depends on the efficiency and integrity of the implementers in the field. “I do not want to hear again about stalled projects. I do not want to hear about public funds leaking along the way. Work honestly, work efficiently,” Prabowo stressed in front of state officials and leaders of state-owned enterprises related to the projects. The Head of State mentioned that the 13 downstreaming strategic projects are worth approximately Rp116 trillion, covering five projects in the energy sector, five in the minerals sector, and three in the agriculture sector. The series of events was marked by a siren-pressing ceremony by President Prabowo as a symbol of the national groundbreaking for the projects. These projects include major collaborations involving Pertamina, Krakatau Steel, MIND ID, and PTPN.