Prabowo: I Will Take Responsibility If the People Go Hungry

President Prabowo Subianto stated that he will take responsibility if the Indonesian people experience hunger. He emphasized that as president and a mandate holder of national sovereignty, he is accountable for the well-being of the nation. He made this statement during a speech at the inauguration of 1,061 village/urban cooperative units (Kopdes Merah Putih) in Nganjuk Regency, East Java.

“As president, I am responsible; I am the mandate holder of national sovereignty. I was sworn in, and I am responsible. If this nation is hungry, I will take responsibility,” Prabowo said on Saturday, May 16, 2026, as quoted from a broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel.

The General Chairman of the Gerindra Party emphasized that no other party can be held accountable if the Indonesian people go hungry. Therefore, when he took office as President, Prabowo assigned Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman and his staff to achieve food self-sufficiency within four years. However, Prabowo claims that his subordinates in the Red and White Cabinet can achieve this target in one year.

On that occasion, Prabowo appreciated Amran’s performance. Prabowo said that he didn’t know Amran before. “I happened to meet him. I asked two or three questions, and it turned out that he was a good person with good ideas,” said Prabowo.

In fact, Prabowo said that he was the one who suggested to former President Joko Widodo that Amran be reappointed as Minister of Agriculture. “Then I proposed it to Mr. Jokowi, and he was brought back in as Minister of Agriculture. And then, as foreigners say, especially the British, ‘the rest is history,’” Prabowo said.