Prabowo: A Government That Lies to Its People Commits a Sin
President Prabowo Subianto has responded to accusations that the Indonesian government is lying to its people. He denied the allegations, stating that a leader who lies to the public commits a sin.
The Chairman of the Gerindra Party made these remarks during a speech at the launch of the B50 biodiesel programme in Karawang, West Java. He initially stated that his government had achieved food self-sufficiency within one year.
Prabowo said many people underestimated this achievement. “In fact, many people who consider themselves clever are mocking, belittling, and accusing the government of lying to the people, claiming we have not achieved food self-sufficiency,” he said on Thursday, 9 July 2026.
The former defence minister then dismissed the accusations. “A government that lies to its people is sinful, a leader who lies to his people is sinful, a leader who is not loyal to the national interest above all else is a traitor,” he said.
At the same event, Prabowo launched the B50 Biodiesel programme. The B50 scheme mandates a 50 percent blend of palm oil-based biodiesel into diesel fuel sold in Indonesia.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia said this policy would reduce Indonesia’s dependence on diesel imports. “With the implementation of B50, Alhamdulillah, we will no longer import diesel products into our country,” Bahlil said during the launch event with President Prabowo in Karawang, West Java, on Thursday, 9 July 2026.
According to Bahlil, Indonesia’s average diesel consumption is 38 to 40 million kilolitres per year. To meet this demand, the country has been importing approximately 3 to 4 million kilolitres of diesel annually.
Bahlil stated that the 50 percent palm oil biodiesel blend would reduce the need for pure diesel in Indonesia. He said that through the expansion of the B50 programme, domestic production volume is now considered capable of independently meeting all market needs.
The Golkar Party chairman said the government had conducted trials of the B50 Biodiesel for six months before launching it to the public. The government tested it on six diesel engine user sectors: automotive, agricultural machinery, heavy mining equipment, marine transport, power plants, and railways.