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Prabowo praises farmers as ‘true patriots’
Speaking in his capacity as defense minister at an agriculture event, Prabowo called farmers "true patriots" for securing the nation's food reserves and feeding soldiers so they could defend the country.
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[pls use different photo; this one has been used at least once already today]
Defense Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto salutes his supporters on Jan. 26, 2024 after a campaign rally in Jakarta. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has praised all farmers, including livestock and aquaculture farmers as well as agriculture workers, hailing their significant role in helping the country achieve food security and calling them “true patriots”.
"I have great respect for farmers, breeders, fishermen, farm workers. You are true patriots. You are the unsung heroes. You are the ones who produce the food for the people of Indonesia," Prabowo said on Tuesday, speaking in his official capacity at an agriculture event in Sumedang, West Java, as quoted by Antara News.
The defense minister, who helms the government’s food estate program, also said the nation’s farmers were on a noble mission to secure it against food shortages. He also expressed his optimism that the country could eradicate poverty with the help of local farmers in maintaining food reserves.
Prabowo then explained the close relationship between agriculture and national defense.
"The Indonesian Military and all soldiers who are present [here], we must remember that without farmers, there will be no army because without food, we cannot fight. We [can] defend this nation and state because the farmers support us," said Prabowo, who is contesting the presidential election on Feb. 14.
Prabowo also shared an experience from his time as the head of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), when he ordered his troops to cultivate unused land to meet the country’s food demand.
After his military career ended in 1998 following the financial and political crisis that led to the downfall of his former father-in-law, then-president Soeharto, Prabowo said he remained committed to agriculture by leading the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI), developing the National Outstanding Farmers and Fishermen Association (KTNA) and chairing the advisory board of the Primary Rural Cooperative (Inkud) until now.
Prabowo also praised Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman for his promptness in going out to the field to solve various issues in the agriculture industry.
"I see the leadership of [Amran] as extraordinary. Maybe I should give [him] another title, not agriculture minister but agriculture commander," he said.
