Appointed as Minister of Industry by Prabowo, Sarmuji: This is a Quite Heavy Burden

M. Sarmuji has been officially inaugurated by President Prabowo Subianto as the Minister of Industry, replacing Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. He admitted that he carries a quite heavy burden as he is responsible for the industrial sector in Indonesia.

Sarmuji emphasised that industry is one of the key factors for economic growth and labour absorption in Indonesia.

“Yes, this is a quite heavy burden, a very large responsibility. Because the industrial sector is a ministry that serves as leverage for economic growth and job creation. We will certainly focus on those two aspects,” Sarmuji stated at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, on Thursday (1/10/2026).

On the other hand, Sarmuji will also focus on industrial growth in Indonesia, particularly regarding employment opportunities for the public.

“Perhaps what we need to focus on is the growth of industry, especially industries that absorb labour, such as the textile industry, the footwear industry, and so on; we must pay close attention to those,” he said.

Consequently, Sarmuji admitted that the Ministry of Industry cannot work in isolation. He stated that the Ministry must coordinate with several other ministries to secure incentives and contribute to economic growth.

“Of course, we cannot work alone, because the industrial sector is linked to many other sectors. For instance, we must coordinate with the Ministry of Investment at the upstream level. We also need to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance regarding how industry can obtain incentives so that it can grow even higher; we must certainly provide incentives,” said Sarmuji.

“Furthermore, we must also engage with the Ministry of Trade to ensure that imports are not too free for industries that can be managed domestically. And of course, we will report and seek guidance, both from the President and our Coordinating Minister,” he added.