Prabowo: Many So-Called Intellectuals Accuse Government of Lying About Food Self-Sufficiency

President Prabowo Subianto attended the launch ceremony for the mandatory B50 biodiesel programme at KM 57 of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road in Karawang Regency, West Java Province, on Thursday (9/7/2026). In his remarks, Prabowo again addressed the food self-sufficiency his government claims to have achieved.

Prabowo began by stating that a nation’s survival is determined by three factors. “First, whether the nation can produce its own food for its people. Second, whether the nation possesses its own energy sources and does not depend on other nations. Third, whether the country also has its own water resources. Food, energy, water,” he said.

He noted that this principle is championed by the United Nations and that nearly all experts on human civilisation understand that without these three elements, a nation will struggle to survive, maintain sovereignty, achieve prosperity, or accomplish anything. The chairman of the Gerindra Party then expressed gratitude that Indonesia has proven capable of securing and producing food for its people.

“We have achieved food self-sufficiency. From a four-year target, we succeeded in one year,” he stated.

Prabowo went on to accuse many parties of underestimating the importance of food self-sufficiency. He claimed that many self-proclaimed intellectuals mock, sneer, and accuse the government of lying to the public. “That we have not yet achieved food self-sufficiency. It is a sin for a government to lie to the people, it is a sin for a leader to lie to the people, and it is a betrayal for a leader to be disloyal to the national interest above all else,” Prabowo declared.