Prabowo’s Two-Year Milestone: Building an Indonesia That Can Withstand the World

As President Prabowo Subianto approaches two years in office, Indonesia should assess its progress through a question that goes beyond the anniversary: Are we becoming a nation better able to withstand disruption while creating greater opportunities for our people? The answer matters to families managing daily expenses, entrepreneurs deciding whether to expand, and young Indonesians preparing for a changing economy. Their confidence will ultimately depend on the strength of the foundations being built today.

Resilience is an increasingly important source of national value. A country’s economic prospects depend on its ability to maintain essential supplies, manage uncertainty, and sustain public trust. For Indonesia, this means connecting food security, energy reliability, human development, industrial competitiveness, and institutional reform into a coherent national effort. The administration’s first two years should be assessed against that broader purpose.

Food security provides a tangible example. Bulog reported that rice stocks under its management exceeded five million tonnes in April 2026, providing a substantial buffer against supply disruptions. This deserves recognition. It reflects the contributions of farmers, procurement institutions, logistics networks, and government decisions that have placed food security high on the national agenda.

The next priority is to ensure that stronger reserves translate into reliable access and affordable prices. Farmers need adequate returns to sustain production, while consumers need food they can afford. Reconciling these interests requires better storage, efficient distribution, accurate demand information, and reduced losses throughout the supply chain. Food resilience becomes durable when agricultural productivity and household purchasing power advance together.

Energy requires a similarly practical approach. Predictable electricity and fuel costs help households manage their budgets and businesses plan production. Maintaining affordability, however, also requires investment in supply, infrastructure, and efficiency. Indonesia should evaluate its energy choices by their contribution to reliability, competitiveness, environmental sustainability, and long-term fiscal health. Every technology and financing arrangement must serve these objectives.

The government’s ambition to develop 100 gigawatts of solar capacity creates an opportunity to expand domestic capabilities in engineering, equipment, installation, storage, and maintenance. Delivering that ambition will require bankable projects, suitable grid connections, clear procurement processes, and capable local partners. Progress should be reported at every stage, from planning and financing to construction and operation, so that national expectations remain grounded in actual delivery.

Human development must remain central to this economic strategy. Nutrition, preventive healthcare, and education determine whether Indonesians can learn effectively, work productively, and participate in a more demanding labour market. These investments also shape how widely the benefits of growth are shared. A nation cannot build lasting competitiveness while preventable illness, poor nutrition, or unequal educational opportunities constrain the potential of its people.

The expansion of free health checks is therefore an important initiative. The Ministry of Health reported 73.8 million participants by the end of July 2026 and emphasized the need for follow-up treatment. That emphasis should guide implementation: detection must lead to accessible medicines, appropriate referrals, and continuity of care. The lasting achievement will be measured by better health outcomes and fewer avoidable complications.

Education and nutrition programmes require the same discipline. Safe meals depend on accountable procurement, trained personnel, and consistent quality control. Better classrooms require capable teachers, relevant learning materials, and reliable maintenance. Digital equipment becomes valuable when it helps students understand more and teachers teach more effectively. Ultimately, success should be measured by the capabilities children acquire.

For the business community, institutional reliability is just as consequential as physical infrastructure. Entrepreneurs need clear rules, predictable compliance costs, and certainty about when decisions will be made. Regulatory changes should come with clear implementation guidance and realistic transition arrangements. Uncertainty imposes costs that smaller enterprises are particularly ill-equipped to absorb.

The introduction of service deadlines and mechanisms to advance licensing processes under Government Regulation No. 28 of 2025 is a constructive step. Its effectiveness will depend on consistent implementation across agencies and regions. Businesses should be able to track applications, identify outstanding requirements, and obtain timely resolutions when processes stall. Predictability becomes an economic asset when businesses experience it in their everyday transactions.

Digital government can make a decisive difference. Indonesia needs public services organised around the needs of citizens and businesses, with clear responsibility for completing each process. A family seeking assistance should not have to navigate conflicting records across institutions. An entrepreneur should not repeatedly submit information the government already holds. Secure data exchange, accurate records, and effective correction mechanisms should make public services simpler and more reliable.

The institutional challenge is to make cooperation routine. Technology can connect systems, but leadership must establish responsibilities, resolve competing mandates, and ensure that agencies deliver services together. Citizens must also retain meaningful protection over their personal information. Trust will grow when digital transformation reduces administrative burdens while making public decisions more understandable and accountable.

State investment should follow equally clear principles. Danantara’s contribution should be assessed through productive investment, financial discipline, stronger domestic suppliers, and transparent partnerships. Consolidation should deliver measurable improvements in efficiency and service quality. Public capital should help build competitive businesses and expand opportunities for private investment, with proper scrutiny of the risks ultimately borne by the public.

As Indonesia enters the administration’s third year, I would welcome a stronger public framework for measuring delivery. Major programmes should disclose their starting conditions, budgets, milestones, operating results, and remaining constraints. Independent scrutiny and feedback from citizens and businesses can help identify problems early. A willingness to correct course strengthens the credibility of national ambition.

The anniversary offers an opportunity to recognise progress and sharpen the work ahead. Indonesia’s greatest achievement will be a society in which families can plan with confidence, businesses can invest productively, and public institutions remain dependable under pressure. That is the resilience we should build—and the standard by which the next chapter of President Prabowo’s administration should be judged.