If He Becomes President, Prabowo Promises To Continue Jokowi's Policy To Ban Exports Of Raw Materials

President Jokowi with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto/DOK PHOTO via Instagram prabowo

JAKARTA - Gerindra Party Chair Prabowo Subianto promised to continue President Joko Widodo's policy of gradually banning the export of raw materials, if he was elected President of the Republic of Indonesia in the 2024 General Election.

Prabowo expressed his intention to continue downstreaming of this industry in the grand consolidation of the Gerindra Party at the Jakarta International Velodrome, East Jakarta.

"Now our President has declared downstream. If later I am given destiny and given a mandate from the people, and allowed by God, I have a mandate, I will continue Pak Joko Widodo's struggle, his strategy. We will downstream all materials, we will process all materials in the Republic of Indonesia," said Prabowo, Sunday, July 16.

Jokowi has intensified downstream by banning nickel ore exports since January 1, 2020. Jokowi also continued the ban on bauxite exports as of June 10, 2023.

Prabowo admitted that the policy of developing the natural resource processing industry accompanied by a ban on exporting raw materials did not run smoothly.

Now, Indonesia is faced with a European Union lawsuit regarding the policy of banning exports and downstreaming nickel ore at the trial of the World Trade Organization or WTO.

However, Prabowo asked all parties not to be afraid to face this condition. This is because downstreaming needs to be realized in order to improve the condition of the Indonesian economy by increasing the value of the export of finished materials.

"As soon as Mr. Jokowi said it was downstream, as soon as we stopped exporting nickel, Europe was furious, protested, complained to us to the WTO and so on. Brothers and sisters, we have to be ready," explained Prabowo.

"It is impossible for our people to prosper, it is impossible for our people to get out of poverty, it is impossible for us to eliminate poverty, if we do not process our own wealth in the Republic of Indonesia," he added.

Some time ago, Jokowi asked the President who would replace himself through the 2024 presidential election to have the courage to continue downstreaming in all fields for the advancement of Indonesia.

"Whatever the risk, the next Indonesian leader must be brave and continue to downstream, because it opens up 10.5 million jobs," Jokowi said at the opening of the workshop and the National Coordination Meeting for Winning the PAN Election, Sunday, February 26.

Jokowi said that Indonesia should not turn again over downstream decisions that have consequences for stopping exports of raw materials in all fields, even though Indonesia's risk could be hostile to other countries.

"Don't turn again, what is called export raw materials, we slide them into exports of semi-finished goods or finished goods. Even though the risk is that we are hostile to many other countries. Because factories there (other countries), the industry there becomes a stop because we don't export raw materials. That's what is called downstreaming," he explained.