Doha, Qatar — Prabowo Subianto, the President-elect for the period 2024-2029, emphasized the importance of building a strong foundation for national progress during the Qatar Economic Forum held from May 14 to 16, 2024, in Doha, Qatar.
In his dialogue with Haslinda Amin, the Southeast Asia International Correspondent for Bloomberg, Prabowo reaffirmed that nation-building is an ongoing process.
He also emphasized that President Joko Widodo of Indonesia had laid a strong foundation for future progress.
“As you know, nation-building is a long-term process. President Joko Widodo has built a strong foundation. I am determined to build on that foundation. My main focus is food security,” said Prabowo.
Further, when asked about his priorities, Prabowo highlighted the importance of self-reliance and security in food and energy.
“My main focus is food security. Indonesia must achieve food self-sufficiency, then energy resilience, energy sufficiency. We are determined to eradicate poverty, with a massive campaign, a massive effort,” he continued.
Continuing his dialogue, Prabowo firmly stated his determination to tackle nutrition issues for Indonesian children with a free lunch program.
“I am determined to eliminate hunger among our people. We have studied this. We have looked at all the numbers, and we are very confident that we can do it,” he said.
Regarding the funding for this program, Prabowo mentioned that Indonesia has a tradition of cautious fiscal management and that under his leadership, Prabowo will be more efficient and bold, with good governance.
On this occasion, Prabowo also committed to continuing the policy of industrial downstreaming.
“We need to protect our interests in the sense that we need to gain added value. We cannot continue to import industrial goods. It’s not good for our people. We will not become an advanced industrial society if we just remain producers of raw materials,” said Prabowo.
That is why Prabowo reaffirmed that his work plan is a concrete step toward sustainable prosperity for Indonesia. He also emphasized the importance of collaboration with international parties.
During this event, Prabowo was accompanied by the Vice President-elect for 2024-2029, Gibran Rakabuming Raka.