Prabowo: Indonesia is Safe, Asks Public to Fairly Evaluate Police

President Prabowo Subianto has stated that the security and social situation in Indonesia is not as bad as many imagine, even when compared to conditions in several other countries. According to him, Indonesia remains one of the relatively safe countries overall.

Prabowo conveyed this during a roundtable discussion with journalists and experts at his private residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday, 17 March 2026. The President said that social issues and violence often occur in many countries and are not a phenomenon unique to Indonesia. “This is a social problem everywhere, but our country is not doing that bad,” Prabowo stated, as quoted from a video interview uploaded to the Prabowo YouTube account.

The President asked the public not to have a negative perception of the national situation. He gave examples of several major countries that frequently face intense violent crimes and attract international attention. He cited incidents of robberies or attacks on trains that often occur in several major cities around the world, even due to the racial background of the passengers.

“You go to many countries. On the train, you get robbed. You get beaten, just because of your race,” Prabowo said to illustrate the complexity of social problems in various countries. This statement refers to the fact that security issues are not just Indonesia’s problem, but a serious global issue.

In that interview, Prabowo also compared Indonesia’s police institution to the situation in the United States, which has recently come under global public scrutiny through the Black Lives Matter movement—an activism that highlights systemic racism and brutality by authorities against black citizens.

“You are disappointed with our police. You can look at the police in America. Black Lives Matter. Innocent people get shot,” Prabowo said. He emphasised that every country has its own challenges in its law enforcement system.

The President then invited the public to view the performance of Indonesia’s police fairly and proportionately. According to him, out of around 400,000 police personnel, many of them work hard and professionally in carrying out their duties.

Prabowo assessed that deviant actions or tendencies to violate the law do not only occur in one institution, but can be found in various other agencies. “There are rogue elements. In all our bureaucracies, there are many that are not right. Yes, this, we want to try. We hope that the coming generations will be better,” he said.

This statement comes at a time when several human rights institutions and civil society organisations are highlighting alleged violence by authorities against demonstrators and activists in previous years. Amnesty International’s records show reports of excessive force used by law enforcement in several protest actions in 2025.

Prabowo affirmed that the bad image of law enforcement institutions is caused by the actions of some empowered parties. “We also have to be fair, it’s always a drop of milk spoiling a pot of milk. Maybe some rogue elements but they have power, they can do as they please. But hundreds of thousands of other police get a bad name,” he said.

The President assessed that the nature of the problem is global and not just a reflection of Indonesia. Therefore, he encouraged the need for internal corrections in every institution before the government takes further policy steps.

Prabowo gave every institution the opportunity to conduct internal corrections first, before the government takes further steps. He exemplified the audit mechanism. In leadership, he said, the audit step is sometimes the best way.