Frequent Overseas Trips, Prabowo Claims to Secure Oil
President Prabowo Subianto discussed his habit of travelling abroad. According to the Chairman of the Gerindra Party, various official activities overseas aim to anticipate fluctuations in global oil prices.
Prabowo addressed the topic of official overseas trips during his speech at a working meeting with officials from ministries, agencies, and state-owned enterprises. Prabowo touched on the responsibilities of a president in his oration.
According to Prabowo, a head of state has the responsibility to meet various development targets. He stated that it is not a light task. “So, brothers and sisters, do not think that standing here is an easy job,” said Prabowo from the podium at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, 8 April 2026.
Prabowo conveyed that those who want to become president must be prepared to face that reality. “Those who want to become president, congratulations, really. I’ve already become one, so I have to work hard. No holidays for me,” he said, having participated in four presidential elections before being elected.
Prabowo then discussed perceptions from others that he considered different from the reality. “They say Prabowo is just travelling abroad. Brothers and sisters, to secure oil, we have to go everywhere,” he stated.
Prabowo gave an example from his most recent overseas visit to Japan at the end of March 2026. At that time, Prabowo said, he also sought various investment cooperations for Indonesia.
Prabowo said he would travel abroad again soon. However, he was reluctant to reveal the next destination. Prabowo claimed that the planned official trip also aimed to secure Indonesia’s interests.
Since being inaugurated as president in October 2024, or one and a half years in office, Prabowo has made at least 35 overseas trips. The most recent was to Japan and South Korea from the end of March to the beginning of April 2026.
In the working meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, Prabowo invited all officials at the ministerial and deputy ministerial level, heads and deputy heads of agencies, to echelon one officials. Hundreds of these officials came to the Presidential Palace to listen to Prabowo’s briefing, followed by a closed meeting.
In addition to discussing official overseas trips, Prabowo also touched on various other issues in his briefing. The topics he discussed included the conflict in the Middle East, the energy crisis and global oil price fluctuations, to mentioning some of his critics as groups that do not want to cooperate.