Budiman Sudjatmiko Identifies Three Groups Opposing Prabowo’s Approach

Budiman Sudjatmiko, head of the Poverty Eradication Acceleration Agency (BP Taskin), believes President Prabowo Subianto’s current policies are intended to advance Indonesia. Budiman said at least three groups would oppose the approach taken by Prabowo’s administration.

He made the remarks at a two-year reflection event organised by volunteers from the Gerakan Cinta Prabowo movement in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Thursday (22 October 2026). Budiman described the groups as opposed to national independence and progress.

“There are three groups that will oppose Mr Prabowo’s approach: neoliberals who oppose national independence, social liberals who oppose the state’s presence, and agrarian populists who oppose progress,” Budiman said.

He said these groups did not want Indonesia to become advanced and independent, and that they had their own concerns.

“Neoliberals don’t want this nation to be independent, able to make its own chips, have its own AI model or produce its own national car. ‘Oh, then our cars won’t sell in Indonesia,’” he said.

“Social liberals are traumatised by the state’s presence. ‘It will become authoritarian,’ they say, equating it with the New Order. But it is different. The state’s presence under Mr Prabowo is not about defending tycoons,” he added.

Budiman said agrarian populists, meanwhile, were not ready to see farmers make progress. He argued that Prabowo’s thinking was in fact similar to that of the country’s founding fathers.

“They cannot yet accept fishermen having modern boats. ‘Oh, they’re no longer ordinary people if fishermen use modern boats. If farmers understand accounting—no, farmers aren’t allowed to understand accounting; they should only know how to wield a hoe,’” he said.

Budiman went on to say that Indonesia’s elites were peculiar: when close to ordinary people, they felt inferior, but when moving in international circles, they were distant from the public.

“Usually, Indonesia’s elites are peculiar. If they are close to the people, they are narrow-minded and feel inferior. If they mix internationally, they are not close to the people. But the founders of our republic were close to the people and farmers, while also mixing with world leaders,” he said.

“Mr Prabowo is restoring the tradition of Indonesian elites whose hearts are close to ordinary people, while at the same time being able to chat comfortably with Nobel laureates without feeling inferior,” he added.