President-elect Prabowo Subianto published an opinion piece in the American local media, NewsWeek, on June 12, 2024, titled ‘The Road Ahead for Indonesia—One of the Fastest Growing Economies in Asia’. In this article, Prabowo shared his vision and mission after being inaugurated as president on October 20.
The Gerindra Party leader emphasized that his primary priority when in office will be to improve and enhance the quality of life for the Indonesian people.
Prabowo also reiterated his commitment to the free nutritious meal program for all schoolchildren in Indonesia. He believes this program will be very beneficial and will enhance Indonesia’s human resources.
However, in his article, Prabowo did not mention the development of the new capital, Nusantara (IKN), in Kalimantan. This omission led some in the community to speculate whether Prabowo would continue the IKN project.
Clarification from Gerindra
The Deputy Chairman of Gerindra’s Executive Board, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, addressed this issue. Dasco stated that the notion of Prabowo not supporting the IKN was a misdirection of opinion.
“This might be an attempt to suggest that Mr. Prabowo will not continue the IKN,” Dasco told reporters on Sunday (June 16).
The Vice Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) said that just because Prabowo did not mention IKN in his writing does not mean he will not continue the project.
“Just because it was not mentioned does not mean it will not be continued. There are many other writings and several articles about it. I ask the mass media not to simply swallow information given by sources saying that Mr. Prabowo is not interested in continuing the IKN,” Dasco clarified.
“Because we have faced such issues several times in the past that were raised by the media but were not statements made by Mr. Prabowo,” he added.
Prabowo Subianto Confirms Continuation of Jokowi’s Programs Including IKN
Dasco also confirmed that Prabowo, once officially inaugurated, will continue the programs previously initiated by President Jokowi.
This was evidenced by various statements from Prabowo in the media, including about the IKN.
“On various occasions, Mr. Prabowo has said he will continue Mr. Jokowi’s programs including the IKN,” said Dasco.
“So, I think it’s just one article that did not mention (IKN), but there are other writings. Then if it is directly interpreted as not supporting the IKN, that would be problematic,” Dasco concluded.