Jakarta – President elect Prabowo Subianto gave a blunt answer when asked about concerns that democracy in Indonesia would weaken under his leadership when he was attending the Qatar Economic Forum on Wednesday May 15.
"Some people are worried that you will weaken democracy, what do you want to say to them?", asked the presenter at the forum. "Who's worried?", responded Prabowo while laughing loudly.
"Several who are critical of you say you'll weaken democracy. So, what you want to say is that they don't exist", said the presenter.
"Why don't you ask the Indonesian people?", Prabowo retorted.
Prabowo claimed that he has asked for a mandate from the Indonesian people through general elections four times. It is recorded that he lost three times in these political contestations.
Then, in the fourth election which took place in February 2024, Prabowo and his deputy Gibran Rakabuming Raka won.
"This time, they approved of me [becoming president]", said Prabowo.
Prabowo then again asked who and which parties were worried about democracy.
"I think the concerns about democracy are fabricated by the press (the media)", he said.
Prabowo asserted that every country has its own culture and character. The head of state, he continued, must serve his people.
Prabowo, who is currently serving as Defense Minister, was in Qatar from May 14 to 16.
On the sidelines of the forum meeting, Prabowo and his vice president elect Rakabuming Raka, who is President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's eldest son, met with the Qatar Emir.
They discussed efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries. (isa/bac)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Prabowo di Qatar: Kekhawatiran terhadap Demokrasi Dibuat-buat Pers".]
