Prabowo Raises Smuggling: ‘We Must Save Our Wealth’

President Prabowo Subianto said Indonesia is rich in natural resources and that the country’s wealth must be protected from various criminal practices.

He made the remarks at a Cabinet plenary session at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (21 October 2026). He said the archipelago’s wealth had long been targeted by parties seeking to profit from it.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are under attack. Whenever the Indonesian nation rises, it is always attacked fiercely, because certain nations in the world are truly opposed to the existence of Indonesia,” Prabowo said.

He said Indonesia had continually been targeted by foreign powers, with many countries seeking to take advantage of its strength.

“Ever since we were born, we have been interfered with. Why? Because Indonesia, because the archipelago, is very rich. Our wealth has been plundered for years, for hundreds of years. I have already proved this to you, and not just now; I need not repeat it. Historical data confirms that the archipelago has always been targeted by the powers of countries seeking to take our wealth,” he said.

Prabowo said the government had received its mandate from the people amid numerous challenges and difficulties. For that reason, he said, the government must have the courage to face reality and stop trying too hard to please others.

“We received a mandate from the people at a time and in circumstances that require us to face challenges and difficulties courageously. We can no longer deal with them too naively or by trying too hard to please others,” he said.

“We are now being forced to choose: face difficulties and reality, which means saving the wealth of the nation and the Indonesian people, or continue with a system that allows Indonesia’s wealth to be taken abroad year after year through practices that I consider fraudulent,” he added.

Prabowo said Indonesia’s wealth was being taken through various practices he considered fraudulent, and that both the people and the government had suffered as a result.

“Our nation is being deceived, our people are being deceived, our government is being deceived,” he said.

Prabowo then highlighted smuggling as an act that causes losses to the state. He said it involved not only the entry of illegal goods but also the illegal removal of Indonesia’s wealth.

“Smuggling into the country—whether narcotics or goods that will cause our factories to close—or smuggling out, with our wealth being smuggled: our tin, coal, timber and fuel. How can anyone say that we should preserve a system that allows smuggling to continue?” he said.

Prabowo said Indonesia’s wealth must be protected, comparing it to blood in the body.

“We must save our wealth; we must save our natural environment. Our natural resources are like our blood: if we keep losing blood, our bodies cannot survive. We are in a position where we must survive,” he concluded.