Prabowo to Issue Special Briefing to Indonesian Nation
President Prabowo Subianto will deliver a special briefing to the Indonesian people in the near future to explain the turbulent global conditions and steps that Indonesia must prepare to undertake.
These global upheavals stem from conflicts in the Middle East following attacks by the United States and Israel that triggered war with Iran.
During a virtual ceremony inaugurating 218 bridges, Prabowo addressed the growing geopolitical tensions resulting from Middle East conflicts, which he believes could affect global economic stability and security.
“Due to the war in the Middle East, we must be prepared to face difficulties. We have great strength, but I will also be honest—I will issue a special briefing to all Indonesian people in the near future,” he said, as seen from the YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat in Jakarta on Monday.
The President assessed that the current global situation is characterised by substantial uncertainty. Competition and conflicts between major world powers could potentially draw other nations into increasingly difficult circumstances.
“The entire world is experiencing shocks due to the war in the Middle East. Let us be frank—we must face difficulties,” the President stated.
Nevertheless, the President stressed that the government has intensively monitored the situation and actively studied various data and economic indicators to ensure that the measures taken are appropriate.
“I have reviewed and studied the figures every day. We continue to discover new resources. We will face difficulties, and I will not hide that from my calculations. We will emerge from this crisis stronger, more prosperous, and more self-reliant,” he said.
President Prabowo also emphasised the importance of strengthening national resilience, particularly in food and energy sectors.
The President expressed gratitude because long-standing efforts towards food self-sufficiency have begun to show tangible results.
“We are grateful for divine blessings and what I have fought for over the years—food self-sufficiency. Given current fuel prices, we are grateful that we have nearly achieved self-sufficiency. We have already achieved rice self-sufficiency, and we will soon meet our protein needs,” the President said.
Amid global uncertainty, the President believes food security is a crucial guarantee to keep Indonesian people safe even as many nations face difficulties.
Furthermore, the government continues to promote energy independence, including through the development of fuels based on domestic resources such as palm oil, cassava, corn, and sugarcane.
The President called on all elements of the nation to continue working hard, maintain unity, and be grateful for Indonesia’s abundant resources.
“We must work hard, we must be harmonious, we must be grateful,” he said.
The geopolitical situation in the Middle East has triggered impacts on the global economy as world oil prices have surged.
Recently, the rupiah exchange rate officially broke through the 17,000 per dollar mark during Monday’s trading (9 March).
Bhima Yudhistira, Director of the Centre of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), warned that the spike in global oil prices could pressure the State Budget and Expenditure (APBN) by hundreds of trillions of rupiah.
He estimated that the APBN deficit could widen to 314 trillion rupiah if global oil prices continue to rise.
“The spike in oil prices causes the worst fiscal pressure ‘Armageddon’ since the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bhima told CNNIndonesia.com on Saturday (7 March).