Prabowo Highlights 'Crab Mentality', Golkar: Dissatisfaction Must Not Breed Envy

Golkar Party Secretary-General Sarmuji has responded to President Prabowo Subianto’s remarks highlighting a tendency to pull each other down, which he likened to a ‘crab mentality’. Sarmuji assessed the message as a warning for the nation not to repeat past mistakes. “This is a leader’s warning so that we do not fall into the same errors as before,” Sarmuji told reporters on Saturday. Sarmuji stated that the nation must be able to manage dissatisfaction properly. According to him, dissatisfaction must not turn into envy and malice. “This nation must be able to manage dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction should not make us envious and spiteful. Do not always want to lead, because power is rotated. Let us not miss the opportunity to build because we are busy bringing each other down,” he said. The Chairman of the Golkar Party Faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) added that criticism of the government does not fall into the category of bringing each other down as referred to by the President. In fact, he said, constructive criticism is needed to keep the government on the right track. “Constructive criticism certainly does not fall into the category the President meant. In fact, criticism is needed so that the government stays on the right path,” he said. “Give whoever is leading the opportunity to carry out their leadership well and fulfil every promise,” he added. Previously, Prabowo addressed the mentality of pulling each other down, which he said remains a challenge in Indonesia. Prabowo likened this condition to a ‘crab nation’, where individuals pull others back down when someone tries to advance. He made these remarks during a speech at the launch of the B50 biodiesel programme at a rest area in Karawang, West Java, on Thursday. According to him, this attitude is possibly a consequence of a long history of colonisation that has left some people with an inferiority complex. Prabowo said there is still a tendency for some people to feel happy when they see their compatriots in difficulty. He then quoted the term ‘crab nation’ to describe this behaviour. “It is said that we are a crab nation. When one crab has climbed up, the crab below pulls it back down. When another crab wants to climb up, another crab pulls it down again,” he said. “That is called being happy to see a colleague in trouble, and troubled to see a colleague happy. I do not know, perhaps you have had such experiences too,” Prabowo continued.