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Prabowo claims close bonds with Muslim scholars, clerics
Prabowo said that as a military person, it was important to remain connected with the Muslim scholar community, not to keep one's distance.
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Defense Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto greets people while visiting Zainul Hasan Genggong pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Probolinggo, East Java on Dec. 2, 2024. (Antara/Irfan Sumanjaya)
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto says he has had enduring friendships with Muslim scholars and clerics since his time in the Indonesian Military (TNI).
"I have always been very close with clerics and Muslim scholars," he said on Tuesday during a visit to the Zainul Hasan Genggong pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Probolinggo, East Java, as quoted by Antara.
Prabowo said he got close to the clerics and Muslim scholars when he joined the military before the age of 20. He claimed he regularly asked for permission from his superiors to seek blessings and prayers from Muslim clerics throughout his military career.
Prabowo said that as a military person, it was important to remain connected with the Muslim scholar community, not to keep one's distance.
He also shared that he and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka would focus on education if they were elected to carry on the legacy of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, adding that they both believed that education for younger generations was of the highest importance.
Prabowo also promised not to sell Indonesia's natural resources to foreign nations at low prices. He said all of Indonesia’s natural resources should be processed in the country and that it was important to establish domestic processing facilities.
The presidential hopeful also insisted that every citizen should have a respectable job with a decent income. He said the Indonesian nation no longer wanted to accept low wages.
"To eradicate poverty, we must dare to eliminate corruption. We are a relatively wealthy country. I have calculated with a team of excellent experts. It turns out Indonesia has extraordinary wealth," said Prabowo, as quoted by Kompas.
