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View all search resultsPrabowo’s data claims draw public scrutiny
Some remarks made by President Prabowo Subianto in his State of the Nation address, including statistics on job creation and school renovation, have been met with criticism for alleged inconsistency with realities on the ground.
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President Prabowo Subianto looks on as he arrives on Aug. 14 at the Senayan legislative complex in Central Jakarata for the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary meeting, in which he delivered the State of the Nation address and the 2027 state budget proposal. (Reuters/Stringer)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto has been met with criticism for making claims about his administration’s achievements during his State of the Nation address that appeared inconsistent with data and realities on the ground.
During his two-hour speech at the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary session on Aug. 14, the President highlighted some of his program’s achievements and introduced several beneficiaries to demonstrate their impact.
Among them was Susanah from Bogor, West Java, whom he introduced as an onion peeler earning Rp 700,000 (US$39.26) per kilogram of onion peeled.
But the statement quickly raised eyebrows, with members of the public calling such earnings unusually high for informal workers. Data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) in 2025 also showed that informal agricultural workers earned an average of Rp 1.5 million per month or, roughly, Rp 50,000 each day.
The claim came under further scrutiny after the Government Communications Agency (Bakom) posted a video one day after the address that identified Susanah as a garment worker paid only Rp 700 per kg of garments she sews.
Presidential special advisor for communications Hasan Nasbi further defended the claim on Monday, urging the public to “focus on the broader substance and ideas in the President’s speech”.
Read also: Prabowo touts self-sufficiency amid global uncertainty
