ASIATODAY.ID, DOHA – Indonesian President-Elect Prabowo Subianto emphasized that Indonesia is not a protectionist country when speaking in front of investors and representatives of foreign countries at the Qatar Economic Forum.
Prabowo said Indonesia was trying to protect its national interests, including cultivating its own natural wealth and reducing dependence on imported products.
“There was a mistake in our assessment. We are not a protectionist country, what we do is very reasonable, and any country in the world will fight or protect the national interests of their people,” said Prabowo when responding to a question from senior journalist Haslinda Amin during an event in Doha, Qatar , Wednesday, May 15 2024 as followed by Bloomberg TV’s YouTube live broadcast in Jakarta.
Prabowo continued that Indonesia wants to get full benefits from its natural resources, so downstreaming has become one of the main policies currently being implemented.
“We cannot continue to import, it is not fair for our people, we will not be able to become a developed industrial country if we continue to import raw materials,” said Prabowo.
Therefore, when he officially served as Indonesia’s 8th president, Prabowo emphasized that he would continue the downstream policy initiated by President Joko Widodo.
“This downstreaming will take several years, but this will be a driver of our economic growth. My first year in office, downstreaming of agriculture, food production, food distribution and energy. We want to quickly become a green country. We want to reduce diesel use,” said Prabowo Subianto.
He explained that currently Indonesia imports US$20 billion in oil/diesel fuel every year. If Indonesia can switch to biodiesel by utilizing its palm oil, Prabowo believes Indonesia can reduce imports while boosting its economic growth.
Prabowo is optimistic that Indonesia’s economic growth can easily reach 8 percent, or even more.
“I am very confident. I have discussed this with many experts. I have studied this,” said Prabowo.
Prabowo spoke about his programs and vision for Indonesia for approximately 1 hour at the Qatar Economic Forum. He arrived in Qatar on Tuesday, May 14 2024 after visiting Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Monday, May 13 2024. (ATN)
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