Prabowo Lectures Academics for Five Hours on National Development
President Prabowo Subianto delivered a lecture lasting nearly five hours to academics. Prabowo served as the keynote speaker at the Science, Technology, and Industry Convention, which was attended by 2,600 lecturers, vice-chancellors, and deans from both public and private universities on Friday, 26 June 2026.
Prabowo’s briefing was initially delivered openly at approximately 16:00 WIB at the Jakarta Convention Centre. After speaking for 30 minutes, Prabowo requested journalists to leave the room to continue his speech in a closed session.
The event was briefly paused for a break towards 18:00 WIB. Afterwards, Prabowo resumed speaking to the forum of lecturers until after 2_00 WIB. During his speech, Prabowo presented materials via a large screen in the event hall.
Most lecturers remained in the room throughout Prabowo’s address. “He remained energetic; five hours non-stop was extraordinary,” said Sukartiningsih, a lecturer from the Faculty of Forestry at Mulawarman University, who attended the forum from beginning to end.
According to Sukartini, Prabowo discussed the current state of Indonesia extensively during his briefing. The President also addressed government programmes such as free nutritious meals, village cooperatives, and export policies.
Sukartini noted that Prabowo did not issue specific instructions to the attending universities. The Chairman of the Gerindra Party simply conveyed a message for academics to be involved in building the nation’s future.
Prabowo also discussed how foreign nations extract natural resources from Indonesia, citing Dutch colonialism as an example. This same point has been raised by Prabowo previously during plenary sessions of the House of Representatives.
Additionally, Prabowo shared stories from his personal life, ranging from his youth to his period following his service in the armed forces. “His youth was shown briefly,” remarked Sukartini.
Sukartini mentioned that there was no Q&A session during the forum due to the large number of participants. However, she noted, “He reminded us that all our scientific knowledge must be contributed to the progress of the nation and the state of Indonesia,” added the Vice-Rector of Mulawarman University.
The event organisers also provided gifts to the attending lecturers, consisting of four books by Prabowo titled “National Transformation Strategy”, “The Indonesia Paradox and Its Solutions”, and “Military Leadership” volumes one and two. There was also a book titled “President Prabowo Subianto’s Solution: President Solution” written by Muhammad Qodari, Dirgayuza Setiawan, and Agung Gumilar Saputra.
The forum, titled “National Discussion