Prabowo: Divide et Impera is Real, Not Just in Books

President Prabowo Subianto has stated that ‘divide and rule’ politics, or devide et impera, continues to occur to this day. He assessed that many parties seek to pit the nation against itself in order to profit from its natural resources.

According to the Chairman of the Gerindra Party, the politics of provocation is not limited to the colonial era. “Divide et impera is not just writing in history books; it is real. Divide et impera is real,” said Prabowo during a speech before the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Friday, 31 July 2026.

Prabowo remarked that countries rich in natural resources often suffer from a ‘curse’. This is because they become targets for parties seeking profit by instigating conflict. He cited the Middle East, which is rich in oil, gas, and minerals, as an example where wars have raged for hundreds of years. “This can be called ‘the curse’; people, countries, or regions endowed with such rich natural resources often become targets,” he noted.

Prabowo stated that Indonesia is a vast and wealthy nation, which is why foreign powers colonised it for hundreds of years. “It is human law, it is the law of nature; wealth breeds envy. We have always been a target for hundreds of years,” said the former defence minister.

President Prabowo delivered the speech before business leaders from Kadin Indonesia at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. Approximately 150 entrepreneurs were in attendance this Friday. The Chairman of Kadin Indonesia, Anindya Novyan Bakire, noted that leaders from Kadin across 38 provinces attended the President’s invitation. “They wish to discuss how we can collectively boost regional economies,” Anindya said at the Palace.