President Prabowo Discusses Strategy to Strengthen Community Empowerment at Limited Cabinet Meeting

President Prabowo Subianto chairs a limited cabinet meeting with ministers of Red and White Cabinet under the coordination of Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment Affairs at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday (11/4). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)

President Prabowo Subianto chaired a limited cabinet meeting with ministers of Red and White Cabinet under the coordination of Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment Affairs at the Merdeka palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday (11/4). The meeting focused on several Government’s strategic steps to strengthen community empowerment programs.

“Today, the President invites us to the limited cabinet meeting discussing community empowerment. There are several key points from this meeting, one of the most important points is to continuously create more productive poverty eradication [programs]. What does that imply? Empowerment will become an important orientation in poverty eradication,” said Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Affairs Muhaimin Iskandar in his press statement after the limited cabinet meeting.

According to Muhaimin, during the meeting President Prabowo emphasized the importance of leveraging all state-owned available facilities to support the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). One concrete step is by enforcing Government Regulation Number 7 of 2021 which stipulated that 30 percent of public facilities such as airports, stations, terminals, and rest areas are to be used to support MSMEs.

“We will also implement Pasar 1001 Malam (1001 night market) where the state-owned idle facilities in strategic location will be handed over to be managed by the MSMEs so they can be used for displays, exhibition, and marketing of our MSMEs,” said Muhaimin.

In addition, Government will continue its effort to realize the strengthening of farmers’ independence through ownership of tools and production land. The Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Affairs stated that the Government will prioritize the provision of land for people in the desil 1 and 2 as part of its economic equity policy.

“We will encourage the establishment of production tools ownership for farmers by distributing lands to communities in the desil 1, with the technical aspects to be finalized soon,” he added.

Moreover, the restriction on the import of used goods, particularly clothing, which is considered detrimental was also being discussed during the meeting. Meanwhile, as part of efforts to improve quality of human resources, President together with his cabinet ministers also discussed scholarship and training for high school and vocational high school graduates who wish to work abroad.

“High school and vocational high school graduates who wish to work abroad will be provided with special scholarships. Insha Allah, 12 trillion rupiah will be allocated for training and improving the language skills of the prospective workers who will be working in foreign markets,” he emphasized. (Bureau of Press, Media, and Information of the Presidential Secretariat) (TCU/MUR)