Prabowo: Currency and Rice Are Now Weapons

Jakarta — President Prabowo Subianto said he sees a shift in global geopolitical dynamics, with currencies and rice now being used as weapons by countries around the world.

“Economic, social and defence politics cannot be separated. Currency is now a weapon; exports and imports are now weapons; food is now a weapon; rice is a weapon,” Prabowo said at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (21 October 2026).

Prabowo said politics is now based on strength, and that the strong are the ones who will survive.

“We can see what is happening in the Middle East and elsewhere. Those who are not strong will be wiped out,” he said.

Prabowo stressed that the political principle to uphold is national unity. He said this had been advocated for a long time, including by President Soekarno.

“What our first president, Bung Karno, advocated was once mocked, but there was a common thread: his conviction and efforts to always preserve national unity,” he said.