Prabowo Boasts Judges' Salaries Now Above ASEAN Average
President Prabowo Subianto has touted that judges’ incomes under his administration have risen by approximately 280 per cent. He made the statement during his state address at the MPR Annual Session in the parliamentary complex, Jakarta, on Friday (14/8).
“Regarding the issue of judges, the government has succeeded in raising judicial remuneration. For the most junior judges, their income has risen by 280 per cent,” Prabowo said. He claimed that judges’ incomes are now the highest in recent decades, noting that the earnings of judges, particularly junior ones, are now above the ASEAN average. “In fact, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has reported to me that the income of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is now higher than the income of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Singapore,” he stated.
Prabowo said the judiciary must be strengthened, calling judges the last bastion of justice. “The last bastion where the people demand and hope to obtain justice, that the rule of law and justice are not only for the powerful. But the most powerless people must be able to obtain justice in our courts,” he said.
Prabowo delivered the state address at the 2026 MPR Annual Session and the Joint Session of the DPD and DPR at the MPR/DPR Building in Senayan, Jakarta. In his speech, Prabowo conveyed a number of matters regarding the implementation of his government over the 21 months since taking the oath as President of the Republic of Indonesia on 20 October 2024. “In 21 months, precisely 663 days to this day, the government I lead has decided and implemented 121 transformative policies to solve the nation’s problems,” Prabowo said.
The President noted that some of the issues addressed through these policies were problems that had persisted for decades and remained unresolved. Prabowo said these achievements demonstrate that problems long considered complex can begin to be resolved through the courage to make decisions, hard work, clear intent, and mutual cooperation among all elements of the nation. “This means we have decided on one transformative policy every five days,” Prabowo stated.
On the occasion, Prabowo recalled the oath he took when inaugurated as President alongside Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka at the same venue on 20 October 2024. Prabowo affirmed that the oath serves as the foundation for running the state leadership, including prioritising the interests of all Indonesian people, including those who did not vote for him. “I have sworn to lead the state and nation sincerely and honestly, prioritising the interests of all Indonesian people, including those who did not vote for me,” he said.
Prabowo stated that during his leadership, there have been four main guidelines underpinning the government’s work. First, carrying out the mandate of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. Second, safeguarding and protecting core national interests, including ensuring the nation’s wealth can be utilised to the greatest extent for the people’s prosperity. Third, the government strives to overcome the people’s difficulties in the shortest possible time. Fourth, all policies are directed towards the interests of the people and the generations of their children and grandchildren.
“I cannot yet say that all the nation’s problems have been resolved, or that all the promises I made have been fulfilled. Not yet,” Prabowo said. However, he affirmed that the government will continue to resolve the nation’s various problems and fulfil the promises made to the people. The President also said that delivering the speech at the MPR Annual Session was a moment to report on what the government has done, the results that are beginning to show, and the various tasks that still need to be completed.