Prabowo Recounts How Labour Unions Urged Him to Award National Hero Title to Marsinah: 'All in Agreement'

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President Prabowo Subianto recounted how he was urged by labour groups to award the title of national hero to labour activist Marsinah.

This was conveyed by Prabowo during a speech at the inauguration of the Marsinah Museum and Rest House in Nganjuk Regency, East Java, on Saturday (16/5/2026).

Prabowo said that the proposal emerged after labour unions questioned the absence of labour figures among national heroes.

“I am grateful that I was given the honour, when I became president, labour friends came to me asking why there were no national heroes from the labour sector,” Prabowo said, quoted from the Setpres YouTube broadcast, Saturday.

“And I replied, who is your candidate? If the labour sector agrees on a candidate, I will appoint them as a national hero,” Prabowo said.

According to Prabowo, all labour organisations eventually agreed to nominate Marsinah as a national hero.

“And they came back to me, all labour organisations agreed that Ibu Marsinah should be a national hero,” he said.

He admitted that he felt honoured to be able to designate Marsinah as a national hero.

“In fact, the incident of Marsinah being brutally murdered for fighting for factory workers in a company should not have happened at all because our country was founded on the basic philosophy of Pancasila,” said the Head of State.

Prabowo said that the Marsinah Museum was built as a symbol of the struggle of vulnerable communities and workers.

“I think this museum was established as a symbol, as a reminder to commemorate the courage of a fighter, a young fighter, a female fighter who fought for the rights of workers,” he said.

In addition to requesting the awarding of the national hero title, Prabowo revealed that labour groups also urged him to inaugurate the Marsinah Museum in Nganjuk.

According to him, the labour unions initially requested that the inauguration be held on May 2, 2026, after the commemoration of International Labour Day or May Day at Monas on May 1.

However, after coordinating with the Minister of State Secretary, the inauguration schedule was finally set for May 16, 2026.

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