Prabowo: Those Who Do Not Learn from History Will Revisit Its Dark Chapters

JAKARTA — President Prabowo Subianto said that the Indonesian nation must learn from history. He also cited a maxim that those who do not learn from history will subsequently repeat the same dark history. ‘There is a maxim that those who do not learn from history will be punished by history, will repeat the same dark history experienced by their ancestors,’ Prabowo said in his speech at the plenary meeting presenting the Macro-Economic Framework (MEF) and the Main Principles of Fiscal Policy (PPKF) for the RAPBN 2027, on Wednesday, 20 May 2026. ‘This maxim occurs in many countries,’ he added. He cited the Netherlands, which has had the world’s highest GDP per capita for 400 years. ‘A country that stretches from north to south might take eight hours by vehicle. From the sea to its border might take four hours by vehicle. It could have the highest GDP in the world,’ Prabowo said. Therefore, the founding fathers laid down the blueprint for Indonesia’s economy in Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945). ‘Article 33 clearly sets out the economic system we must run as a nation. And I want to emphasise today, my belief that if we implement Article 33 UUD 1945, we do so well, we do so purely and consistently, our country will have sufficient resources to guarantee Indonesia,’ Prabowo asserted.