Prabowo Asserts Lying to the People Is a Sin
President Prabowo Subianto has affirmed that a leader who lies to the people is a leader who sins and betrays the interests of the state. He made the remarks whilst launching the Mandatory B50 Biodiesel Programme at the Rest Area KM 57 in Karawang Regency, West Java, on Thursday (9 July), when touching upon the government’s achievements in realising food self-sufficiency.
“A government that lies to its people commits a sin. A leader who lies to his people commits a sin. A leader who is not loyal to the interests of the state above all other interests is a traitor,” he said.
According to the President, there are still parties who belittle the importance of food self-sufficiency and accuse the government of not conveying the true situation to the public.
Prabowo asserted that the government must not convey falsehoods to the people, including regarding the achievement of food self-sufficiency, which he said has successfully been realised.
“Alhamdulillah, we have proven that we are capable of securing and producing food for our people. Alhamdulillah, we have achieved food self-sufficiency. Of a four-year target, we succeeded in one year. Many parties belittle the importance of food self-sufficiency,” he said.
The President also said that even before his inauguration, he had emphasised to his core team and advisers the importance of realising food and energy self-sufficiency, including reducing dependence on food and fuel imports.
Beyond food and energy, Prabowo noted that water availability is one of the main factors determining a nation’s survival. According to the President, the TNI continues to carry out water drilling programmes in areas experiencing water shortages. Around 30,000 drilling points have been completed so far this year.
“To this day, the TNI continues to search for water, the TNI continues to drill for water in difficult places. The TNI Commander alone — how many water holes have we drilled this year? Already 30,000, and we continue to address problems as they arise,” he said.