Prabowo Subianto, the President-elect for 2024-2029, expressed optimism about Indonesia’s economy achieving growth of up to 8% in the next two to three years. He made this statement at the 2024 Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on Wednesday (15/5). Prabowo, accompanied by Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, stated that he believes the country can easily reach 8% economic growth and is determined to exceed that target.
Prabowo emphasized that downstreaming policies will play a crucial role in achieving future economic growth, although it will take a few years to implement. He highlighted agriculture, food production and distribution, as well as energy, as key drivers of economic growth in the first year of his government. Prabowo revealed plans to quickly transition to green practices, such as producing diesel from palm oil, which he believes will significantly boost economic growth by reducing the country’s annual diesel imports of 20 billion US dollars.
Despite adopting downstreaming policies to reduce imports, Prabowo clarified that Indonesia is not pursuing a protectionist economic stance. He stressed the importance of the country becoming an advanced industrial nation rather than just a raw material exporter. Prabowo stated that every country fights for its national interests to protect its people, and Indonesia must ensure it gets full value from its natural resources for the benefit of its citizens.
