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Prabowo pledges to take back state assets controlled by private business
Prabowo said that state assets, which naturally belong to all citizens of a nation, should all be controlled by the government based on the 1945 State Constitution.
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President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech during a Labour Day rally in Jakarta on May 1. (AFP/Azwar Ipank)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto said in a speech delivered in front of thousands of workers celebrating Labor Day on Tuesday that his government is ready to take over state assets that are now under the control of private companies.
Prabowo said that state assets, which naturally belong to all citizens of a nation, should all be controlled by the government based on the 1945 State Constitution.
"I was born in Betawi, raised in Betawi. I know which assets belong to the people, I know all of them and I will take them back for the sake of the people, brothers and sisters," President Prabowo said to a cheering crowd of thousands of workers who joined the May Day parade at the National Monument (Monas) square on Thursday.
The President was quick to add that he would first consult judges at the Supreme Court before taking steps to take over state assets currently in the hands of private business.
"I will first ask judges at the Supreme Court about the legal foundation first. The State Constitution is strong enough. The land, water and all wealth contained within them should be controlled by the state [...] that's the order of the Constitution," Prabowo said, quoting Article 33 of the 1945 State Constitution.
Prabowo, however, did not give details on which state asset would be the first targeted in a takeover campaign.
President Prabowo, who ran on a nationalist platform in last year's presidential election, has in the last three months rolled out policies that have significantly increased the role of the government in the country's economy.
In February, Prabowo launched a sovereign wealth fund called Danantara Indonesia with a pledge to take the country's annual growth from 5 to 8 percent. The funds allocated for Danantara have come from dividends contributed by state-owned enterprises and billions of dollars from government cuts.
In recent months, under coordination from the Defense Ministry, soldiers of the Indonesian Military (TNI) have moved to seize assets considered illegally occupied by palm oil companies.
In the last part of his speech, Prabowo made another pledge to possibly give the title of national hero to some deceased labor activists, including Marsinah, a worker from Surabaya, East Java, who was brutally murdered by members of the military for his advocacy work.
"I will support the proposal to name Marsinah as our national hero," he said.
