Prabowo Attacks Unpatriotic Observers; Celios Accuses President of Paranoia

The Center for Economic and Law Studies (Celios) has criticised President Prabowo Subianto’s comments regarding observers lacking patriotism, with Celios executive director Bhima Yudhistira describing the accusations as paranoid behaviour towards dissenting opinions in society.

Bhima stated that Prabowo should not treat criticism as a threat. “This represents paranoid behaviour towards dissenting opinion,” Bhima said when contacted on Sunday, 15 March 2026.

According to Bhima, threats against researchers, including those at Celios, have increased under Prabowo’s leadership, with intensity growing particularly in digital spaces. “Over the past week, narratives suggesting research institutions are foreign-funded and unpatriotic have intensified,” he said.

Celios has experienced heightened digital threats following research on free nutritious meals and Indonesia-US trade agreements. Bhima views this phenomenon as an attempt to silence critical observers.

Bhima believes the government should welcome independent civil institutions conducting research on policy without using state budgets. “The data should be used for policy-making, but instead it is being threatened,” he said.

Bhima regards Prabowo’s comments about unpatriotic observers as alarming for academic freedom. “Academics become afraid to write policy criticism, and space for dialogue appears to be closing,” he stated.

Celios has also experienced restrictions from some media outlets regarding their participation as sources, Bhima claimed, citing various reasons ranging from seeking pro-government economists to outright prohibition by editors.

Bhima asserted that Celios remains committed to providing policy analysis based on data and is open to discussion if the government has concerns. He noted that Celios has regularly engaged with government officials at the Ministry of Finance and Bank Indonesia, but lamented that such dialogue does not occur at elite political levels. “What is peculiar is the top political elite. Senior officials tend to be allergic to discussion,” he said.

President Prabowo had previously accused certain observers of lacking patriotic sentiment, claiming they derive financial benefit from criticising the government.

Prabowo identified several types of observers in Indonesia, including those he characterised as unwilling to see the government succeed due to hidden motives. “In my view, their attitude is narrow, not patriotic,” Prabowo said during a cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday, 13 March 2026.

Prabowo stated he regularly receives intelligence reports about observers opposed to his government and claimed to know which parties fund them.

Prabowo expressed a desire to take action against such observers. “The time will come when we will regulate all this. But for now we are still trying through convincing approaches,” he said.

Prabowo speculated about the motivations of critics, suggesting they may feel defeated, powerless, or have lost financial sources due to his government’s firm stance against corruption.

“Especially thieves and corrupt officials—they naturally feel disadvantaged by our government. We want to put things in order,” he said.

According to Prabowo, he is currently attempting to convince the public through evidence-based approaches, confident that citizens can understand government policies when presented with clear evidence.