Prabowo: India an Inspiration for Indonesia in Democracy

President Prabowo Subianto has stated that democracy is not an easy system to implement. Despite facing various challenges, he believes democracy remains the best choice for creating a just and inclusive national and state life. The Head of State made the remarks during a speech at the Indian Community Reception held at the Jakarta International Convention Center (JICC) on Tuesday. “Democracy is not an easy path, not an easy system. It is not easy. Sometimes it is very messy. But I think we agree that it is the best system for justice, for hope, for inclusivity,” he said. Prabowo explained that democratic practice always faces various risks, from threats to attempts by certain parties to abuse the system. However, he stressed that such conditions should not be a reason to abandon democracy, but rather a motivation to continue protecting it. “There are dangers in democracy. There are traps. There are obstacles. There are people who want to hijack democracy. But we cannot give up. We must believe in democracy and we must strive to maintain democracy. It is the best way of all the systems we have tried, that human civilisation has tried,” he stated. On the occasion, Prabowo also expressed appreciation for India’s success in managing its democratic system as the world’s most populous country. He said India’s ability to maintain governmental stability amidst ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity is a remarkable achievement that Indonesia should learn from. “We look at India, a country of 1.4 billion people, many, many ethnic groups like us, many different regional languages. But managing so many years of peaceful transitions of government in many states, and in the Union of India itself, is a tremendous achievement,” he said. “And Indonesia, I myself also study this and follow the great achievements of India,” he added. Prabowo then called on the Indonesian people to draw lessons from India’s experience in strengthening its democratic system. He said this experience holds significant value for Indonesia, which is also known as a nation with a high level of diversity. “The important thing is, the Indonesian people must learn from India’s experience,” he concluded.