April 29, 2026 | 05:35 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto once again mentioned the "Dark Indonesia" movement. This time, he remarked during the groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase of 13 irrigation projects in Cilacap, Central Java.
Prabowo expressed his belief that those portraying Indonesia as bleak lack clear vision. He even encouraged individuals who propagate dissatisfaction with the country to leave. "Indonesia is dark. Their vision is blurred, and Indonesia is dark. Indonesia is bright. If someone wants to escape, just go," Prabowo said on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, quoted from a live broadcast on the President's Secretariat YouTube channel.
The head of state even challenged those who advocate the "Dark Indonesia" narrative to flee to Yemen. "Perhaps someone wants to flee to Yemen, please do so. Where do you want to escape?" he said.
Prabowo claimed that Indonesia is the safest country amid global turmoil. The former Minister of Defense urged educated people to read the news. "Hey, smart people, open the news, look, we are positioned as the safest country in the world now," he said.
According to Prabowo, he and the government only want to work for the people. He then added, "Just escape. Yes, just escape, so we won't be in conflict."
This is not the first or second time President Prabowo has criticized the "Dark Indonesia" narrative. Most recently, exactly 20 days ago, he criticized the movement during the inauguration of a commercial electric vehicle assembly plant owned by PT VKTR Sakti Industries in Magelang, Central Java.
On that day, Prabowo said that the eyes and hearts of those who are dissatisfied with Indonesia's condition are "not good enough."
"Those who say (Indonesia) is not bright, those who say Indonesia is dark, maybe their eyes are not good, yes. Their eyes and hearts. Well, what can we do if someone's heart is not sincere, their vision is blurred, yes, Indonesia is dark," Prabowo said on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
The Chairperson of the Gerindra Party stated that Indonesia's future is bright. He even said that Indonesia will become more powerful. "Our growth is good. Next year, we will surprise the whole world. Indonesia is rising. This giant is waking up. We will not be the sleeping giant anymore, we are rising," he said.
If further investigated, the "Dark Indonesia" campaign first emerged in early 2025. At that time, this narrative was raised as a slogan to criticize the government of Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The theme of Dark Indonesia was used in protests demanding accountability for government policies that were not in the people's favor. The hashtag Dark Indonesia was also widely used on social media.
Prabowo has repeatedly mentioned Dark Indonesia. One of them was during a briefing to the Red and White Cabinet and leaders of institutions at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. To his cabinet assistants, Prabowo expressed his optimism about Indonesia's future amid a globally unstable situation. "For me, there is no dark Indonesia, Indonesia is bright when many countries are in trouble," he said at that time.
Furthermore, Prabowo also addressed Indonesia Gelap while attending the Congress of the Indonesian Solidarity Party or PSI in Solo, Central Java, in July 2025. At that time, Prabowo accused the demonstrators of "Dark Indonesia" and "Just Escape First" of being funded by corruptors.
The corruptors, according to Prabowo, want to keep Indonesia in turmoil. "They want Indonesia to always be in turmoil, Indonesia to remain poor. Yes, those corruptors fund those demonstrations, Indonesia is dark," Prabowo said in his speech at the PSI Congress in Central Java, on Sunday, July 20, 2025.
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