Prabowo: Pancasila Key to Navigating Global Trade Wars
President Prabowo Subianto stated that Pancasila serves as Indonesia’s steadfast anchor in a world increasingly divided by geopolitical rivalries, trade wars, and economic uncertainty. ‘In a world growing more fragmented by disputes, geopolitical rivalries, trade wars, and economic instability, Indonesia has a solid foundation. That foundation is Pancasila,’ Prabowo said while serving as the inspector of the Pancasila Day ceremony at the Gedung Pancasila field in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex, Central Jakarta, on Monday, 1 June 2026.
Prabowo added that Pancasila did not emerge in a vacuum but from Indonesia’s history, experiences, culture, and national aspirations. ‘Pancasila is a grand consensus, a national agreement that allows our nation—comprising thousands of islands, hundreds of ethnic groups, languages, and diverse cultures—to live as one people,’ said the former Defence Minister.
According to Prabowo, Pancasila should not be viewed merely as a formal symbol in state ceremonies. He stressed it must be the primary guide in all aspects of national life, society, and governance, including the national economic system. ‘Pancasila is not merely a historical document. Nor should it be just a slogan recited during ceremonies,’ he said.
The Gerindra Party chairman believes Indonesia can become a prosperous, advanced, and respected nation when its people earnestly uphold Pancasila’s values across political, legal, social, cultural, and economic spheres.
Prabowo also emphasised that the state must not pursue short-term comfort at the expense of future generations. He stated all government policies must ensure a better future for the nation’s children and grandchildren. ‘No nation is truly independent without prosperity,’ Prabowo asserted. ‘I do not want Indonesia to rely on other nations. There are no other nations that will feel sorry for us,’ he said. ‘If our people are hungry or in hardship, no other nation or power will pity or assist us.’
He then referenced President Sukarno’s vision for national self-reliance to free Indonesia from external dependencies. ‘As our founding father and proclamator, Bung Karno, advised us: we must have the courage to stand on our own feet. That is the essence of a sovereign nation,’ Prabowo said.