Hashim: Prabowo the first President with oil and gas industry experience

Hashim Djojohadikusumo, the President’s Special Envoy for Energy and Climate, has said that President Prabowo Subianto is the first President of the Republic of Indonesia to have direct experience in the oil and gas (migas) business. He argues that such experience gives Prabowo an understanding of investors’ needs in energy, particularly concerning legal certainty and political stability. Hashim explained that Prabowo once served as the chairman of his oil and gas company, which operated in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan more than two decades ago. The experience reportedly helped Prabowo understand the challenges investors face when committing capital in foreign countries. ‘President Prabowo Subianto was the chairman of my company, while I held the role of chief executive,’ he said at the Indonesia Petroleum Association Convention and Exhibition (IPA Convex) 2026 in Tangerang on Thursday (21 May 2026). Hashim noted that Prabowo served as chairman of the company for seven years. During that period, Prabowo reportedly visited Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan several times as part of the company’s oil and gas investment activities. He added that this experience provides an important foundation for Prabowo in leading the national energy sector. The President, he said, understands the importance of contract certainty, security, and political stability for global investors. ‘So President Prabowo understands what it feels like to be an investor in a distant and unfamiliar foreign country,’ Hashim said. On that occasion, he said Indonesia’s energy demand will continue to rise in the coming years. Population growth, economic expansion, and the development of artificial intelligence (AI) are expected to be the main drivers of national energy consumption.