Prabowo: Even Our Poorest People Can Still Smile

President Prabowo Subianto has acknowledged that many Indonesians still live below the poverty line.

However, Prabowo expressed amazement that those living in poverty can still smile.

“Our people are still poor. What is remarkable is that even our poorest people can still smile. Perhaps they only have one set of clothes. Their house is only a hut, so I do not understand how they can still smile,” Prabowo said at the launch of the National Electric Motorcycle (Molinas) in Bekasi on Thursday (13/8).

Prabowo said friendliness is an inherent trait of the Indonesian nation. According to him, this trait is embedded in the DNA of Indonesians.

Unfortunately, he said, this trait is perceived by other nations as a sign of weakness.

“We are considered the soft state. We are sometimes slow to realise what is happening around us and within us,” he said.

Prabowo stated that Indonesia’s natural resources have been taken, smuggled and not enjoyed by all Indonesians for far too long.

He also said that challenges continue to arise from time to time, at a moment when Indonesia has reached the take-off stage towards becoming a developed nation.

“Young people, study history. A nation that does not understand history will be punished by history. If we do not understand how other nations have behaved towards us, we may always end up as victims,” he said.

Prabowo also said Indonesia is destined to be born as a diverse nation.

He said Indonesia is destined to have many different ethnic groups, religions and regional languages.

But remarkably, amid these differences, Indonesians can live in harmony and peace with one another.

“That is what many nations find astonishing about us,” he said.