JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto has been met with criticism for making claims about his administration’s achievements during his State of the Nation address that appeared inconsistent with data and realities on the ground.
During his two-hour speech at the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary session on Aug 14, the President highlighted some of his programme’s achievements and introduced several beneficiaries to demonstrate their impact.
Among them was Susanah from Bogor, West Java, whom he introduced as an onion peeler earning Rp 700,000 (US$39.26) per kilogramme of onion peeled.
But the statement quickly raised eyebrows, with members of the public calling such earnings unusually high for informal workers.
Data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) in 2025 also showed that informal agricultural workers earned an average of Rp 1.5 million per month or, roughly, Rp 50,000 each day.
The claim came under further scrutiny after the Government Communications Agency (Bakom) posted a video one day after the address that identified Susanah as a garment worker paid only Rp 700 per kg of garments she sews.
Presidential special advisor for communications Hasan Nasbi further defended the claim on Monday (Aug 17), urging the public to “focus on the broader substance and ideas in the President’s speech”.
Prabowo also claimed that realised investment reached Rp 1.9 quadrillion in 2025, creating 2.7 million jobs.
Meanwhile, another Rp 1 quadrillion of investment was made between January and June that generated 1.4 million jobs.
Separately, BPS reported the national poverty rate declined to 8.07 per cent in March, down from 8.25 per cent in September 2025 and 8.47 per cent last March. The number of people living below the poverty line fell to 22.93 million, a decrease of 430,000 from September.
But the claim and BPS data was met with skepticism by Bhima Yudhistira of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS), who questioned whether the figures reflected conditions on the ground.
He criticized Indonesia’s poverty rate as being too low, which may skew the data. People earning Rp 3 million a month can be considered “well-off” despite living paycheck to paycheck and having little room to improve their quality of life.
Bhima also noted that those working as little as one hour a week in informal jobs are still classified as employed.
Prabowo also claimed Indonesia had achieved self-sufficiency in eight commodities, including rice, corn and sugar. However, the President did not present their production figures in his annual state address.
On Thursday, the Agriculture Ministry said that self-sufficiency in commodities was still a projection this year, with an expectation all production to exceed domestic demand.
Sugar production, for instance, was projected to reach 3 million tonnes this year, exceeding its 2.8 million-tonne demand. Yet, BPS data showed Indonesia imported 1.1 million tonnes of sugar and sugar confectionaries between January and June.
Ayip Said Abdullah of the People’s Coalition for Food Sovereignty (KRKP) questioned whether the claims had actually been achieved, as he argued sugar remained mainly imported.
“The government needs to reveal all the information to the public,” Ayip said on Thursday.
Prabowo’s remarks on school renovation have also drawn criticism, as the President underlined his target of revitalising 100,000 schools by 2029.
In his address, Prabowo also cited data from the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry showing that 16,177 educational institutions received aid to renovate their buildings in 2025.
The 2026 target for the programme stands at 71,744 schools, the figure the President cited in his speech as the number of schools receiving revitalisation assistance throughout the year.
Education watchdog Network for Education Watch Indonesia (JPPI) called the target “wishful thinking” given the current rate of damages across the nation.
“How can such a massive target be achieved by 2029 when the government’s budget pales in comparison with the rate of school deterioration?” JPPI national coordinator Ubaid Matraji said on Wednesday, noting 60 per cent of elementary schools nationwide remain in
Scholars gathered under the Interdisciplinary Intellectual Forum (FIAD) said the speech was full of “empty claims” disconnected from reality.
“Prabowo’s grandiose speech will only become a hollow rhetoric if it is not accompanied by policies on the ground,” said Usman Hamid of Amnesty International Indonesia and FIAD member.
“This is merely an attempt to win public sympathy.”
Bakom deputy for content and dissemination Timothy Ivan Triyono maintained that Prabowo’s speech should be read in its entirety rather than focusing heavily on what could be a “slip of tongue” by the President. “
He clearly conveyed the direction he wants the nation to take going forward,” Timothy said on Thursday.
“Of course, there may be dynamics, as well as pros and cons, but rest assured that the President is a leader who always prioritises people’s welfare.” - The Jakarta Post/ANN
