DPD Chair Says Prabowo's Policies Are Like Pulling a Thorn from the Flesh

The Chairman of the Regional Representative Council (DPD RI), Sultan Bachtiar Najamudin, has expressed appreciation for the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka in strengthening national economic independence. Sultan made the remarks while delivering a speech at the Annual Session of the MPR alongside the Joint Session of the DPR and DPD at the Parliamentary Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday (14/8).

Sultan assessed President Prabowo’s strategic move to restore state control over natural resources, in accordance with the mandate of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, as a form of political courage aimed at improving the welfare of the people.

“The economic transformation championed by President Prabowo is like pulling a thorn from the flesh. Pulling out a thorn is certainly uncomfortable; there is a stinging sensation, even a little bleeding. However, as long as the thorn remains embedded, the wound will never truly heal,” Sultan said before President Prabowo and leaders of state institutions.

Sultan explained that the thorn includes the high dependence on imported products, the low added value of natural resources, the practices of under-invoicing and transfer pricing, as well as bureaucratic inefficiency. He highlighted a number of the government’s strategic programmes that are considered mutually integrated, ranging from the establishment of Danantara, the One-Stop Export Policy, food and energy self-sufficiency, to the Free Nutritious Meals programme (MBG) and the strengthening of the grassroots economy such as the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives and the Merah Putih Fishing Villages.

“Economic transformation demands the courage to make difficult decisions in order to strengthen the foundation of the national economy and realise an Indonesia that is more sovereign, advanced, and competitive,” he said.

Sultan added that in less than two years under President Prabowo’s leadership, the dream of achieving food self-sufficiency has now become a reality, accompanied by clear direction for energy independence and national downstreaming. He assessed that the measures favouring farmers, fishermen, labourers, and MSME players have maintained Indonesia’s macroeconomic stability.

“Alhamdulillah, food self-sufficiency, which was long a dream, has now become a reality. Energy independence is showing a glimmer of light. The national economy continues to grow consistently above 5 percent, inflation is under control, the tax ratio is increasing, and poverty and inequality rates continue to be suppressed,” Sultan concluded.