Prabowo Optimistic That Indonesia Will Be Free From Poverty Before 2045

Presiden Prabowo Subianto di Istana Merdeka Jakarta (dok Setneg)

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto expressed his commitment to lift Indonesia out of the trap of poverty before 2045, as well as encourage the national economy to enter the top five to six in the world.

"I am optimistic that we can remove poverty from the Republic of Indonesia long before 2045. That is my belief and determination," said Prabowo in his opening remarks at the 2025 Indo Defense Expo & Forum which took place at JIEXPO Kemayoran, Jakarta, Wednesday 11 June.

According to him, various international economic institutions have projected that Indonesia has great potential to become one of the world's economic powers in the near future. He also believes that the younger generation, especially young technocrats, will become the driving force for the nation's change in a more advanced direction.

2045 is only 20 years away. Young people who are currently 25 or 30 years old, they will be the ones who lead this republic. In their hands, we can get out of poverty," he said.

Prabowo also mentioned the long history of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia. He revealed that the wealth taken by the Dutch from Indonesia reached around US$31 trillion or Rp504 quadrillion, the equivalent of 18 times Indonesia's current gross domestic product (GDP), even worth a state budget of 140 years.

"This shows that we are actually a very rich nation. In the past, the Netherlands could become the country with the highest per capita income in the world because of wealth from Indonesia," he explained.

Therefore, Prabowo emphasized the importance of strengthening the defense sector. According to him, strong defense is the key to safeguarding the nation's wealth and sovereignty from external threats.

The history of mankind teaches that a nation that does not invest in its own defense will lose its sovereignty and independence. The nation could become a slave nation," he said.

With a big vision towards Indonesia Gold 2045, President Prabowo affirms his commitment to building a strong, sovereign, and prosperous country.