Prabowo's Speech at NU Conference: From Political Lessons to Low Teacher Salaries
President Prabowo Subianto visited East Java on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, departing from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta for Sampang Regency. There, he inaugurated a new 1,151-kilometre road infrastructure project, part of the Presidential Instruction on Regional Roads. Prabowo then proceeded to Bangkalan Regency to attend the closing of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) National Conference of Alim Ulama and Grand Conference at the Syaikhona Mohammad Cholil Islamic Institute.
In his speech, the Gerindra Party chairman joked that NU should be the place to learn about politics. He noted the presence of several NU figures in his Red and White Cabinet, including Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, who is also the NU Executive Board Secretary-General, and Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Arifatul Choiri Fauzi, who chairs the Muslimat NU Central Board. ‘This Red and White Cabinet has a lot of NU members,’ he remarked, praising the organisation’s strength and widespread presence. ‘NU is great. It is everywhere. In every party, NU is present. So NU never loses. If you want to learn politics, you should actually learn from NU,’ he said with a laugh. Prabowo also expressed that he always feels comfortable and safe within the NU community, recalling that he has known the organisation since childhood and was once a neighbour of the late Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur, in Jakarta.
On the issue of teacher and civil servant welfare, Prabowo claimed that low salaries are a direct result of state financial leakages. ‘Why can’t teacher salaries improve? Why can’t civil servant salaries improve? Why is the budget always insufficient? Because the money is not there; it is being taken continuously,’ he stated. He estimated that state losses amount to approximately US$150 billion, or Rp 2,500 trillion, annually. Prabowo said his administration is working to plug these leaks, partly by closing down loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs). He expressed shock upon learning that there were over 1,000 SOEs in operation, having previously assumed the number was around 300. Over 20 months in office, he claimed to have closed roughly 240 state companies. He also highlighted the practice of under-invoicing by business actors, alleging that false export value reporting has caused losses of US$908 billion over 34 years, or Rp 15,000 trillion.
Prabowo further described Nahdlatul Ulama as a stabilising force for the nation, present during times of hardship. He praised the ulama and kiai as the figures closest to the people, particularly in rural areas, and lauded the organisation’s deep-rooted nationalism. ‘Nahdlatul Ulama is indeed a religious organisation, but it is very nationalist, very patriotic, and loves the homeland. So it is religious but nationalist and patriotic,’ he said.