Prabowo Tells Top Brass: 'Don't Be Salon Generals'

President Prabowo Subianto has cautioned high-ranking military and police officers against becoming ‘salon generals’ who are reluctant to get their hands dirty. He stressed that the trousers and boots of Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and National Police (Polri) leaders should be soiled, even if they hold the rank of general. ‘Generals, don’t become salon generals who only want to stay clean. Once in a while, a general’s boots must be dirty, their trousers must be dirty up to the knees,’ Prabowo said during a speech in Batang, Central Java, on Thursday. National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo and TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto were present at the event. However, Prabowo also joked that they should not deliberately dirty their boots just to meet the president. ‘But don’t dirty your boots on purpose just to see the president. That’s an old trick,’ he quipped.

The remarks were made during the inauguration of a mass mortgage signing event for 62,000 subsidised housing units and People’s Business Credit (KUR) for housing, valued at IDR 880 billion, in the Puri Delta City Side Batang area. The programme is part of the government’s effort to expand access to decent housing for low-income communities while strengthening national housing sector financing. ‘We are working hard with various programmes and constantly thinking of the best ways to multiply the number of houses the people can enjoy,’ Prabowo said. He also held a video conference dialogue with debtor representatives from various regions participating in the simultaneous mass signing. In his speech, Prabowo expressed gratitude for the event’s implementation across Indonesia, stating it reflects the government’s commitment to broadening public access to home ownership. ‘We want all Indonesian citizens to have a decent home,’ he said.