JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto rejects an economy that only distributes assistance. He emphasized that the government's program is not a handout - not a one-time assistance - but a scheme that is built with rules, targets, and returns so that it is sustainable.
In the Indonesia Economic Outlook 2026, Prabowo explained the plan for fishing villages which is targeted to reach 1,000 villages by 2026 and a total of 5,000 villages in the next four years.
He said that during the Republic's existence, many fishing communities had never been touched by the state. The problem, said Prabowo, is that they have difficulty getting ice, difficulty with solar, and limited market access.
The solution, the government will build ice factories, cold storage, docks, prepare ships and vehicles. However, Prabowo emphasized that his approach was not a grant without governance.
"This is not a handout... we organize it in a cooperative. All their expenses will be paid back to banks and the government," he said in a speech at the Danatara building, Jakarta, Friday, February 13.
The President also opened direct export opportunities for villages that were able. Prabowo said regulations would be simplified and access to ports and airports would be opened so that fishing villages could penetrate foreign markets without convoluted routes.
For investment returns, he said the repayment scheme could be made loose - 10 to 12 years - so that it is not too heavy.
The tone of the speech hardened when he compared the treatment of large economies and small economies. Prabowo mocked the practice of "haircut" and restructuring that was often requested by large business actors, then questioned why fishermen were not given a similar space to rise in class.
Prabowo associated the cooperative agenda with the discipline of distributing subsidized goods and cutting leaks.
The President alluded to the Village Fund which has been running for 10 years, but "a lot of the funds did not reach the people," as evidenced by the many village heads who are dealing with the law because of accountability for the use of funds that are considered problematic.
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