Prabowo criticises investment bureaucracy while signalling eight per cent economic target

President Prabowo Subianto continues to push for government improvements to Indonesia’s investment process. The national investment climate must be continuously accelerated, as the government has set a growth target of about 5.8 to 6.5% for 2027. Furthermore, the target is to achieve Indonesia’s economic growth of eight per cent by 2029. ‘Brothers and sisters, the government must improve all our institutions so that there is a conducive business climate. Do not squeeze the entrepreneurs, do not harass the entrepreneurs,’ he said at the DPR/MPR building in Jakarta on Wednesday, 20 May 2026. Prabowo also called for speeding up investor business licences and said they should not be outpaced by other countries, so that entrepreneurs do not encounter obstacles such as bureaucratic hurdles. ‘If Malaysia can issue licences in two weeks, why are ours two years? It’s embarrassing! And we should not have too many initiatives. The President’s orders, the ministers’ orders, the bureaucrats below keep reworking it. Ministerial regulations, technical regulations, recommendations, common sense — it’s all in there,’ he said. ‘I remind you, all ministers, discipline your bureaucracy from the top down. Beware of bureaucrats, because their experience is long. You enter and exit every five years, right? If you aren’t reshuffled properly, you know? They are slow.’ He also urged the private sector to play a role in boosting the nation’s economy, stating that private companies must increase competitiveness to a global level. ‘We must push our private companies to excel,’ he said. In a aside about the habit of drinking coffee, the President cited domestic firms that have penetrated global markets, such as Mayora’s coffee products and Indomie instant noodles, which are well known in Europe and Africa. ‘Mayora has marketed Kopiko in more than 100 countries. Because they have a brand ambassador. The President himself also encourages drinking coffee everywhere. But I understand the DPR’s organising committee knows that, oh there is coffee on the podium. May I take a sip, Madam Speaker (Puan Maharani, Speaker of the DPR),’ he concluded.