Prabowo's speech is considered to affirm sovereignty in the midst of great power rivalry

JAKARTA - GREAT Institute Geopolitical Director Dr. Teguh Santosa assessed President Prabowo Subianto's state of the nation address confirmed Indonesia's position to maintain sovereignty amid the rivalry of major world powers.

According to Teguh, this message can be seen from Prabowo's emphasis on food self-sufficiency, energy independence, downstream processing, natural resource management, to strengthening the defense industry.

"In a world marked by fierce battles between Great Powers, President Prabowo places national sovereignty as a core and vital national interest that cannot be compromised," said Teguh, quoted from his opinion received on Friday, August 14.

The lecturer of International Relations at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta assessed that the view was in line with neorealism, an approach in international relations that sees the ability of a country to protect itself and its interests as an important factor in facing global competition.

Teguh said that the sovereignty conveyed by Prabowo did not stop at foreign policy. According to him, food and energy independence are also an important part.

He gave an example of the implementation of B50 biodiesel which was said to end the dependence on imported solar, as well as the policy to regulate illegal mines. Teguh also highlighted the plan to close 1,000 illegal tin mines in Bangka Belitung.

"This is an effort to ensure that the country's strategic resources do not leak and are not enjoyed by foreign actors, but are used to strengthen the national economic base," he said.

Teguh also sees the domestic industry's localization and strengthening as a step to face global supply chain vulnerabilities. He alluded to the acquisition of technology and global companies through entities such as Danantara as part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia's position.

The reform of SOEs, which is aimed at streamlining more than 1,000 entities into a maximum of 300 productive companies, is also considered as a consolidation of the strength of the national economy.

In the field of defense, Teguh assessed that the government's attention to the domestic defense industry is directly related to the country's ability to maintain sovereignty.

However, according to Teguh, who is also the Chairman of the Indonesian Cyber Media Network (JMSI), the strength of the state is not only determined by the economy and the military. The Free Nutritious Meal and People's School programs are also considered an investment in the quality of human resources.

Teguh also highlighted Prabowo's foreign policy which still opens relations with various major powers.

According to Teguh, the principle of "a thousand friends are too few, one enemy is too many" does not show weakness, but rather a pragmatic approach to obtaining investments, technology, and market access without abandoning national interests.

"The government realizes that in the midst of the Great Powers' fight, Indonesia must continue to accumulate strength, both economically, technologically, and defensively," said Teguh.

He emphasized that sovereignty is not enough to be a slogan, but must be supported by discipline within the country, economic, technological and defense strengthening, and the courage to protect national interests in the midst of global pressure.