Minister Reveals Prabowo's Directive Behind 'Transmigrasi Patriot'
Transmigration Minister Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara has explained the rationale behind the ‘Transmigrasi Patriot’ programme, revealing it stems from President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to foster economic growth in transmigration areas.
‘The basic idea of Transmigrasi Patriot? We started this in early 2023. Yes, under the President’s orders to carry out a transformation, we began in early 2023. It turns out, in October 2025, a Nobel laureate emerged, which strengthened our thesis,’ Iftitah said during a media gathering in Tebet, South Jakarta, on Friday.
He elaborated, ‘What is it? For good economic growth, there must be a flood supported by science and technology. It cannot happen without science and technology.’
Iftitah revealed that Prabowo desires Indonesia to produce Nobel Prize winners. He noted that transmigration areas could serve as laboratories for researchers.
‘The President wants Nobel laureates. Nobel laureates cannot be created without research. It is impossible. That means more of our professors must conduct research. Well, all transmigration areas are those laboratories,’ he said.
Iftitah also mentioned Prabowo’s ambition to see the University of Indonesia ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. This reinforces the programme’s goal of turning transmigration areas into research subjects.
‘The second thing, what does the President want? The President wants the University of Indonesia to enter the top 100, even the top 10, universities in the world. That is unlikely without research and community service. Well, this is the vehicle for it,’ he stated.
Through the Transmigrasi Patriot programme, Iftitah explained that there will be an industrialisation of human resources in the regions. Consequently, intelligent people will be more widely distributed.
‘So, downstreaming for commodities, we must also industrialise human resources. By spreading all the intelligent people across transmigration areas, that is a form of human resource industrialisation,’ he added.