Prabowo: At One Time the Indonesian Nation Had Its Dignity Placed Below That of a Dog.

Jakarta, VIVA – President Prabowo Subianto recalled the struggle of the people against the colonisers hundreds of years ago. He said the founders directly experienced how Indonesia was humiliated, colonised, and even lost its self-respect on its own land.

He made the comments during the 19th Plenary Session of the DPR RI for Session Year V of the 2025-2026 Legislative Session, in the framework of delivering the Macro-Economic Framework (MEF) and the Core Principles of Fiscal Policy (CPFP) for the 2027 Draft State Budget (RAPBN 2027), at the Nusantara Building of the MPR/DPR/DPD-RI, Jakarta, on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.

Prabowo revisited the dark history of colonisation, which, in his view, robbed the Indonesian nation of its dignity for hundreds of years.

“They felt what colonisation meant. They felt the Indonesian nation’s dignity was stripped, its self-respect, its dignity of the nation,” Prabowo said.

Prabowo said the founding fathers understood the meaning of imperialism because they themselves saw how the Indonesian nation was positioned very low by the colonial powers.

“They understood what imperialism meant. They felt the Indonesian nation placed in a position of standing below a dog,” he added.

He added that this historical experience formed the resolve of the founders to safeguard the sovereignty of the economy and the wealth of the Nusantara so that it would not be re-taken by foreign powers.

He said the founding figures witnessed with their own eyes how Indonesia’s natural wealth had for hundreds of years been extracted to enrich other countries.

“We should not be too enamoured of a nation that becomes rich by plundering the wealth of other nations,” he concluded.