TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Indonesians should not be overly impressed by countries that achieved prosperity by exploiting the wealth of other nations, referring to the legacy of colonialism during a speech before Parliament on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
Speaking at a plenary session at the MPR/DPR/DPD parliamentary complex in Jakarta, Prabowo said Indonesia’s founding generation had directly experienced the effects of colonial exploitation.
“We should not be too impressed by nations that became rich by taking the wealth of other nations,” Prabowo said.
The chair of the Gerindra Party said Indonesia’s founding fathers witnessed how the natural wealth of the archipelago was controlled and extracted during the colonial era.
According to Prabowo, Indonesia experienced humiliation and loss of dignity under colonial rule.
“Our founding fathers experienced what imperialism meant,” said the former defense minister.
Prabowo specifically referred to the Netherlands, which he said recorded one of the world’s highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita levels between the 16th and 19th centuries despite its relatively small size. He argued that part of that prosperity was built on colonial exploitation in the archipelago that later became Indonesia.
Because of that history, Prabowo said Indonesians should not feel inferior to foreign nations.
“We should not always admire what others teach us when they themselves do not practice what they preach,” he said.
At the same time, Prabowo stressed the importance of learning from history.
“A nation that does not learn from history will be punished by history,” he said, warning that countries risk repeating the mistakes and hardships experienced by previous generations.
The retired army general also said Indonesia needs strong and united leadership to safeguard its resources and national interests.
“If leaders in the archipelago are weak and divided, then the wealth of the archipelago will continue to be taken by outside powers. That is history, and it has happened,” Prabowo said.
Prabowo attended Wednesday’s plenary session to present the government’s Macroeconomic Framework and Fiscal Policy Principles (KEM-PPKF) for the 2027 state budget. He became the first Indonesian president to directly deliver the fiscal framework before Parliament.
Chair of House Commission XI overseeing finance and banking, Mukhamad Misbakhun, said the presentation marked a new precedent in Indonesia’s fiscal policymaking process.
“Usually, the macroeconomic framework and fiscal policy principles are delivered by the finance minister on behalf of the president. Today, they were presented directly by the president, marking a new tradition,” Misbakhun said at the parliamentary complex in Senayan on Wednesday.
He explained that the KEM-PPKF presentation marked the initial stage of discussions on the 2027 state budget draft. The framework includes macroeconomic assumptions such as economic growth, inflation, the rupiah exchange rate, oil and gas lifting targets, indicative budget allocations for ministries and agencies, and 10-year government bond yields.
Misbakhun also dismissed speculation that Prabowo’s appearance before Parliament was linked to recent pressure on the rupiah.
Instead, he said the president wanted the presentation of the economic framework to receive wider public attention.
“Of course, the public will pay attention to this, and it will become a new tradition in state administration,” Misbakhun said.
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