Prabowo Says Advanced Technology Useless If People Go Hungry

President Prabowo Subianto has emphasised the importance of developing digital technology to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of government programmes. He noted that 84.51 per cent of Constitutional Court applications up to 23 July 2026 were submitted online, allowing citizens from Aceh to Papua to avoid unnecessary physical travel. However, Prabowo stressed that technological sophistication is useless if not accompanied by public welfare, with one key indicator being that no citizen should go hungry. “We can have the most powerful military, we can have advanced aircraft, but if there is no food, I say this nation might as well stop,” Prabowo said during the Annual Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives and the Regional Representatives Council marking the 81st Anniversary of Indonesian Independence at the Nusantara Building, Parliamentary Complex, Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Friday (14/8/2026). He underscored the importance of government policies prioritising food self-sufficiency and the Free Nutritious Meals programme for schools. Ensuring food distribution programmes reach the people, he said, is the result of cooperation from various parties. “The hard work of farmers, agricultural extension workers, local governments, all elements of the TNI and Polri — thank you — cooperatives, and state-owned enterprises, thank you for the cooperation and mutual assistance,” Prabowo said.