DPR Leadership Defends President Prabowo's Frequent Overseas Visits

The leadership of the House of Representatives (DPR) has addressed criticisms regarding the overseas visits of President Prabowo Subianto. The response was delivered by the Deputy Speaker of the DPR from the National Democrat Fraction, Saan Mustopa, and the Deputy Speaker from the Gerindra Party, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, during a press conference at the Nusantara III Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Central Jakarta.

“I want to emphasise that every leadership has its own strategies and urgency regarding diplomacy and building good relations with friendly nations,” said Saan. “Therefore, the intensity of overseas visits for every head of state, in this case, the President, is certainly different. One cannot be compared to another in terms of intensity.”

Saan noted that in the current context, Prabowo requires a higher intensity of visits compared to previous leaders. He argued that high global dynamics necessitate that the country maintains strong relationships with other nations.

During the same session, Dasco stated that the frequency of overseas visits must be viewed through the lens of necessity and the influencing dynamic situations. “As previously stated, the President has strategies that cannot be limited to a specific number of trips because they are dynamic,” he said.

Dasco also observed that Prabowo’s departures abroad are always conducted for short durations and according to necessity, including sudden visits if required. “If a visit is sudden, it is because the situation requires the President to depart immediately. I believe we should provide substantive feedback. However, debating limitations, especially regarding quantity and timing, is not substantive,” Dasco remarked.

Recently, several circles have criticised the high intensity of President Prabowo’s overseas visits. One critic is Dino Patti Djalal, who served as Deputy Foreign Minister during the era of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Dino shared a video suggesting that Prabowo reduce his international travel, while also commenting on the frequency, costs, and planning of these overseas visits.