Prabowo says teachers' salaries are low because national wealth leaks abroad

JAKARTA — President Prabowo Subianto has said that teachers’ salaries, civil servants (ASN), and law-enforcement officers (APH) are small because the nation’s wealth leaks abroad. He made the remarks in a speech at the 19th Plenary Session of the Indonesian DPR RI concerning the Macro Economic Framework (KEM) and the Core Policy on Fiscal Policy (PPKF) for the RAPBN 2027.

Prabowo said that, according to data from the United Nations (UN), Indonesia’s exports have consistently exceeded its imports. ‘Our exports have always been higher than our imports. If one thinks in terms of trade, it means what we sell is more than what we buy,’ he told reporters at the Nusantara Building, MPR/DPR RI, Jakarta, on Wednesday (20 May 2026).

The UN notes that total export-import profits from 2004 to 2025 reached US$436 billion, or around Rp7.7 quadrillion, assuming an exchange rate of Rp17,707.65 per US dollar. However, the UN also records a net outflow of US$343 billion, or Rp6 quadrillion. In other words, over 22 years the wealth generated from Indonesia’s export-import activities amounted to just US$93 billion.

‘That is why teachers’ salaries are small. The salaries of law-enforcement officers and civil servants are small too. This is why the budget is never sufficient, the budget is not strong enough,’ he said.

Moreover, Prabowo, who is the chairman of the Gerindra Party, also drew attention to alleged under-invoicing or falsified export data. Businesspeople were said not to report the true export values to the government. He claimed that in 34 years of under-invoicing, Indonesia had lost US$900 billion, or Rp15,400 trillion. ‘Imagine if we had enjoyed that US$900 billion, if we had used it for the country, what kind of Indonesia would this be, ladies and gentlemen,’ he said.