Prabowo Subianto, the newly elected President for the 2024-2029 period, is optimistic that Indonesia’s economy can achieve growth of up to 8% in the next two to three years.
This statement was made by Prabowo during the Qatar 2024 Economic Forum in Doha on Wednesday (15/5). During the event, Prabowo was asked about the economic growth projection that could be achieved during his five-year leadership.
“I am very confident; I have spoken with experts and studied the numbers. I believe we can easily reach 8%. I am determined to surpass that,” said Prabowo, who was accompanied by Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
“Yes, hopefully (it can be achieved) in the next two to three years,” he continued.
In addition, Prabowo stated that downstreaming policies would be the key to achieving economic growth in the future. He mentioned that downstreaming would still take time to implement.
He also emphasized that one of the drivers of economic growth in the first year of his government would be the agriculture and food sector (production and distribution) as well as energy.
“We want to quickly transition to green energy. We want to produce solar from palm oil, and this will be a very strong driver of economic growth,” Prabowo explained.
“Until now, we import $20 billion worth of solar every year. So, you can imagine the savings we will achieve by switching to biofuels,” he added.
Prabowo stressed that adopting downstreaming policies to reduce imports does not mean that Indonesia is adopting a protectionist economic stance. He wants Indonesia to become an advanced industrial country and not just remain an exporter of raw materials.
According to him, every country will fight for its national interests, especially to protect its people.
“I think this is a misunderstanding. We are not protectionists. What we are doing is very logical; every country in the world will fight for or protect its core national interests, its people,”
“We want to industrialize, and it is our natural resources that must be protected for the sake of the people. We must get full value from it. We cannot continue to import industrial goods. It is not fair to our people,” Prabowo emphasized.
