Prabowo Reveals the Netherlands Was Wealthy for 400 Years Only Because It Once Controlled Indonesia

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — President Prabowo Subianto has highlighted the scale of Indonesia’s wealth, saying that even before independence the country’s riches were such that a colonial power like the Netherlands could benefit for centuries. Prabowo argued that the magnitude of Indonesia’s wealth was understood by the founding fathers, culminating in Indonesia’s independence on 17 August 1945 so that all Indonesians could share in it.

“The founders of our nation understood that if the leaders in Nusantara are weak, if leaders in Nusantara are not united, then Nusantara’s wealth will continually be taken by powers outside Nusantara,” he said in a speech at the Indonesian Parliament building in Jakarta on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.

He cited evidence of Indonesia’s vast wealth in the Netherlands’ ability to record the highest GDP per capita in the Indonesian archipelago during the 1500–1800 CE era. For 400 years, the Netherlands, he said, was able to enjoy abundant wealth solely from its ability to control Indonesia, which at that time formed part of the Nusantara region.

“For 400 years they had the highest GDP per capita, even though a country from north to south might take less than eight hours to traverse by road, and from sea to border perhaps less than four hours, yet they could boast the world’s highest GDP,” he said. “Why? Because they controlled Nusantara—the region that is now the Republic of Indonesia,” Prabowo asserted.