Prabowo: Defence and Police Budgets Can Be Cut to Eradicate Poverty

President Prabowo Subianto has affirmed that the government will continue to pursue budget efficiency to accelerate the eradication of hunger, poverty, and extreme poverty in Indonesia. He stated that if necessary, the defence and police budgets could be reduced to ensure the basic needs of the people are met.

“We must eliminate hunger. We must eliminate poverty. Especially extreme poverty, we must eliminate it. God willing, we will eliminate it. We will make our budget efficient. We will make it effective,” Prabowo said during a speech in Malang, East Java.

Speaking in front of Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Indonesian Military Commander General Agus Subiyanto, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, and the three service chiefs, Prabowo stressed that efficiency measures are part of a larger effort to prepare Indonesia’s future. He highlighted that the nation’s ambition to become one of the world’s largest economies by 2045-2050 depends on the quality of its youth today.