Prabowo Reveals Business Owners' Complaints: Waiting 1-2 Years for Investment Permits!

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - President Prabowo Subianto has asked government ministries and agencies to facilitate investment permitting. The request was made by Prabowo while attending the ceremony for the handover of administrative fines, state financial recovery, and the repossession of forest areas held at the Attorney General’s Office complex in South Jakarta on Wednesday (13/5/2026).

“All officials from all ministries and agencies, find ways to improve the system. Reduce inefficiencies. Facilitate permitting, do not make it difficult,” he said.

“Business owners also complain that they want to work and invest but sometimes wait for permits for one year, two years, whereas in other countries it is two weeks,” he continued.

Prabowo emphasised that the government must refer to neighbouring countries.

“If they can issue permits in two weeks, why do we take two years? Simplify regulations. The tendency of regulations is the initiative of bureaucrats, frankly, to find opportunities. Some will ask for kickbacks, ask for money, so that permits are expedited. We have simplified them, but some ministries and agencies make new ministerial regulations, technical instructions,” he said.

On that occasion, Prabowo asked State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi to gather experts to accelerate deregulation.

“Simplify. Do not make it difficult. Business owners must be helped, must be supported. The naughty ones we will discipline, but those who are good, who really want to work, must be helped,” said Prabowo.

“Many foreign investors also complain that in Indonesia permits are often very long and numerous. Permitting sometimes has things that don’t make sense,” he continued.

Furthermore, Prabowo admitted to monitoring the issue of gas imports for hospitals.

“This is questioned, that, this, that, finally our gas supply is very thin for hospitals. Only about permits,” he said.