IPDN Selection Proves Meritocracy Works, Says President Prabowo

President Prabowo Subianto has stated that the selection process for the Institute of Domestic Governance (IPDN) proves the meritocracy system is working by providing equal opportunities to the nation’s best sons and daughters, regardless of their social or economic background. Speaking at the inauguration of the Young Civil Servants of Cohort XXXIII for 2026 at the IPDN Jatinangor Campus in West Java on Wednesday, Prabowo said he received reports that the young civil servants come from highly diverse backgrounds. “Before stepping up to the podium, I received a report that all the Young Civil Servants come from very diverse backgrounds, many from very modest families. Some are children of labourers, some are children of farmers, some are children of non-commissioned officers,” he said. According to the President, this diversity shows that the IPDN selection process is capable of recruiting the nation’s best sons and daughters without discriminating based on social or economic status. “We want a selection process that truly produces the nation’s best sons and daughters. Anyone, including the child of a labourer, can graduate as a Young Civil Servant and one day become a leader of the nation,” he stated. Prabowo said the meritocracy system is proof that every citizen has the same opportunity to excel and serve the nation. “This proves that the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia is successful and that Pancasila truly gives opportunities to those who excel through a meritocracy system. This makes me proud,” he said. Based on the Decree of the Minister of Home Affairs regarding the Inauguration of IPDN Graduates as Young Civil Servants of Cohort XXXIII for 2026, the government inaugurated a total of 1,204 Young Civil Servants. The top graduate of IPDN Cohort XXXIII was Aji Bayu Ramadhan from the Government Information Technology Engineering Study Programme, Faculty of Government Management, originally registered from East Nusa Tenggara Province. He is the son of Winoto Hadi, a construction labourer, and Wahyuniarti, a housewife.