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Prabowo pledges self-reliant future
In his inaugural speech on Sunday, President Prabowo Subianto promised to make Indonesia a self-sufficient country in food and energy, as part of his larger goal to build a more prosperous nation.
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President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech during his inauguration as Indonesia's eighth president at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta on Oct. 20, 2024. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
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n his inaugural speech on Sunday, President Prabowo Subianto promised to make Indonesia a self-sufficient country in food and energy, as part of his larger goal of building a more prosperous nation.
The former defense minister took the oath of office as the eighth president with his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his vice president during a plenary session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta on Sunday morning.
“We cannot rely on external food sources. In times of crisis, in times of emergency, no one will allow us to buy their goods. Therefore, there is no other option but to achieve food security as soon as possible,” Prabowo said in a fiery, hour-long speech.
Despite being one of the world’s largest rice producers, Indonesia has recently struggled to sustain its supply due to land-use change and an unpredictable climate, among other issues. The country produced over 20 million tonnes of rice last year, a 2 percent decline from the previous year.
Prabowo’s predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, the father of Gibran, also made the same promise when he was inaugurated in 2015 but failed to achieve the goal. His outgoing administration last year purchased over 3 million tonnes of rice from overseas.
But Prabowo has confidence in his plan, saying that, after consulting with experts, Indonesia would be able to achieve food self-sufficiency within four to five years at the latest. “In fact, we will be ready to become the world’s food estate,” he added.
He said his administration would fulfill his campaign promise of providing free nutritious meals for Indonesian school students.
