Prabowo Pledges to Centre Development on Public Welfare

President Prabowo Subianto has placed people’s welfare at the heart of various government policies, ranging from strengthening food and energy to education, health, employment and social protection.

That message was the common thread running through the president’s speech at the Annual Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives and the Regional Representatives Council at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Friday.

Prabowo said the government had implemented 121 transformative policies during 21 months in office to address the various problems facing society.

“What I want to say is that we accepted that mandate with full honour. The task given by the people is a noble honour for us. That is why we will work as hard as we can. We will work flat out for the people and our nation,” he said.

Prabowo outlined a number of government achievements in food, energy, investment, the management of state-owned enterprises, education, health and social protection.

In the food sector, the president said Indonesia had achieved self-sufficiency in eight commodities: rice, maize, consumption sugar, chicken meat, chicken eggs, shallots, large chillies and bird’s eye chillies.

According to him, that achievement was supported, among other things, by simplifying fertiliser distribution rules and lowering fertiliser prices.

“At a time when the world is deeply worried about mass starvation caused by food shortages and uncertain weather, we, alhamdulillah, can report to this assembly that on food, on food for the Indonesian people, we are in a safe situation,” he said.

In the energy sector, Prabowo said Indonesia had no longer imported diesel since 1 July 2026 following the introduction of palm oil-based B50 biodiesel.

Food and energy self-reliance, according to the president, is needed to reduce Indonesia’s dependence on foreign supplies amid geopolitical conflicts and disruptions to global supply chains.

In investment, realised investment throughout 2025 reached Rp1,931 trillion and created more than 2.7 million jobs.

Meanwhile, in the first half of 2026, investment reached Rp1,010 trillion and created more than 1.4 million jobs.

Prabowo also said the Indonesian economy grew 5.61 percent in the first quarter of 2026 and 5.45 percent throughout the first half of 2026.

The government is also improving the management of foreign exchange earnings from strategic commodity exports through PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI).

Since beginning operations on 1 June 2026, DSI is said to have managed export foreign exchange of around 14 billion US dollars from coal, palm oil, and iron and steel commodities.

Prabowo said that oversight would be expanded to increase state revenue while strengthening the governance of strategic commodity exports.

People’s economy

Strengthening the people’s economy is also being carried out through the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperatives.

The government hopes the cooperatives can shorten distribution chains and help ensure subsidised goods are received by the public at the proper price.

In the fisheries sector, the government is developing Merah Putih Fishing Villages to increase the productivity and income of coastal communities.

A total of 100 fishing villages have been built and the government is targeting 1,386 villages to be established and functioning by the end of December 2026.

The government is also preparing the construction of modern fishing vessels to increase fishermen’s productivity.

Human development

In addition to the economy, the president has placed human development as an important part of improving people’s welfare.

The programme begins with meeting children’s nutritional needs through Free Nutritious Meals, then education through People’s Schools and Garuda Excellent Schools, and health services.

Prabowo stressed that the government would continue the Free Nutritious Meals programme by making improvements and increasing the efficiency of its implementation.

“That is why I am determined to continue the Free Nutritious Meals programme. But with improvements, with efficiency,” he said.

People’s Schools are directed at providing access to education for children from poor families so that they do not drop out of school and have the opportunity to improve their family’s economic situation.

Meanwhile, Garuda Excellent Schools are intended for high-achieving students to receive quality education and prepare them to continue their studies at the best universities.

In the health sector, the government is running the Free Health Check-up Programme and providing National Health Insurance contribution assistance to poor communities.

The government is also digitalising social assistance registration to speed up services and ensure assistance is received by the groups that need it.

Prabowo said these various policies are part of efforts to realise the purpose of the founding of the Republic of Indonesia, namely to deliver prosperity that can be felt by all the people.

“Our task is not merely to keep the republic standing. Our task is to ensure that this republic succeeds as a nation. This republic succeeds in having the ability to be present among the people and to deliver prosperity for all the people of Indonesia,” the president said.