Prabowo Urges National Economic Transformation: People Have Been Spectators for Too Long

President Prabowo Subianto has reaffirmed his commitment to national economic transformation. He stated that Indonesia’s natural resource wealth has not yet been fully enjoyed by the people. This was stated by Prabowo during his address at the Pancasila Birth Anniversary ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, 1 June 2026. He noted Indonesia is a nation rich in natural resources and a leading producer of various commodities, playing a crucial role in global supply chains from minerals to agricultural products. “We are one of the largest producers of critical minerals such as copper, tin, gold, and rare earth metals. We are also producers of palm oil, coal, nickel, and other vital agricultural commodities,” he said. In the food sector, Prabowo said Indonesia is now better prepared than many countries facing food security challenges. He highlighted that achieving food self-sufficiency is a key asset for Indonesia in navigating global dynamics. However, Prabowo acknowledged that the utilisation of Indonesia’s natural wealth has not been optimal for improving people’s welfare. He pointed out that much of the added value from national resources is being enjoyed by foreign entities. “Now that we have achieved food self-sufficiency while many countries struggle, we are better prepared. However, we must acknowledge that our wealth has been underutilised for the people’s prosperity for too long. Too long has the added value from our resources been enjoyed abroad. Too long have our people been spectators on their own nation’s wealth,” he said. Prabowo stressed that economic transformation is a key task of his administration, describing it as a mandate he must fulfil as President of the Republic of Indonesia. “I believe our current historical task, my task as the eighth President of the Republic of Indonesia, as the people’s mandate sworn before the nation, is to transform the country, particularly our national economy. Transforming from an economy not fully grounded in Pancasila to one that truly adheres to Pancasila,” he said.