Prabowo: We Must Dare to Face Difficulties

President Prabowo Subianto has urged the public to be brave in acknowledging and facing difficulties. He stated that a country’s success is not determined by its ability to avoid problems, but by its courage to resolve challenges. The head of state made these remarks during a speech at the closing of the Science, Technology, and Industry Convention at the Jakarta Convention Centre on Sunday, 28 June 2026. The event was attended by thousands of academics, including rectors, deans, and professors. In his speech, Prabowo stressed the importance of a culture that is open to criticism and input, as well as the need to seek solutions together. “I believe that difficulties must be faced. Difficulties must be faced, and we must dare to face difficulties, dare to acknowledge difficulties, and work hard to find solutions to difficulties,” Prabowo said on Sunday. Addressing the academics present, the Gerindra Party chairman said that every proposal received by the government would be studied and followed up as part of efforts to improve governance. “I have received a list of proposals and questions, quite a number of them. I promise to look into each one,” Prabowo said. On the same occasion, Prabowo expressed his belief that a successful country is one that can honestly see its problems and take steps to overcome them. “I received a lot of input earlier. A successful organisation, society, or country is one that dares to know, to seek out difficulties and shortcomings, and to overcome them,” he said. Prabowo then expressed gratitude that technological developments have enabled the president to quickly learn about people’s problems. He said that difficulties in a village can reach the top leadership and be resolved promptly. Prabowo cited an example of a problem he heard about in a village in Nias Regency, North Sumatra. “A difficulty in a village in Nias, immediately, and we resolved it quickly,” he said, without elaborating on the details. Furthermore, the former defence minister under President Joko Widodo stressed that technology does not always bring positive impacts. He gave the example of nuclear technology, which on one hand can be used to generate electricity, but on the other hand also carries risks. Therefore, Prabowo urged academics to continue exploring how the use of technology can be optimised to support national progress.