Appointed as Presidential Advisor, Said Iqbal Pledges to Fight for Decent Wages and Labour Protection
President Prabowo Subianto has officially inaugurated Said Iqbal as the Special Advisor to the President for Labour and Worker Welfare. Following the inauguration, Said Iqbal emphasised that he will immediately submit reports and present perspectives regarding worker welfare directly to the President.
“There are several matters that I will report, as I will be providing reports directly to the President through coordination with the Minister of the State Secretariat,” Said Iqbal stated on Tuesday, 9 June 2026.
One of the key issues to be reported to President Prabowo concerns the national economic growth target of 8 per cent. He argued that such growth must be balanced with equitable wealth redistribution. “In our view, growth must be balanced with even wealth redistribution, equality of opportunity, and ensuring everyone has a chance. To put it simply, you may become wealthy, but do not impoverish us,” he remarked.
Regarding labour welfare, Said Iqbal believes that future priorities must encompass job security, income certainty, and social security. These perspectives will be presented to the President to serve as material for policy analysis. “These are the three areas we will focus on: providing advice, opinions, and policy analysis to the President regarding worker welfare,” he said.
Furthermore, Said Iqbal will present his views on ensuring decent wages for labourers, as well as addressing the needs of migrant workers, who he noted still require greater protection from the state. “These matters will be conveyed to the President in the form of advice, opinions, ideas, and policy analysis. Naturally, I will also meet with several ministers to discuss these issues.”
The appointment of Said Iqbal as Special Advisor is expected to strengthen the Prabowo administration’s commitment to fostering harmonious industrial relations, improving worker welfare, and ensuring that national economic growth provides broader benefits to all segments of society.