Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Opening Ceremony of the 16th National Congress for the 2026–2030 Term of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI)
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Good afternoon,
Peace and prosperity be upon us,
Shalom,
Salve,
Om Swastiastu,
Namo Buddhaya,
Greetings of virtue.
Honorable Chair of the Organizing Committee of the 16th IPSI National Congress, who also serves as the Executive Chair of IPSI, Mr. Benny Sumarsono;
Honorable Ministers of the Red and White Cabinet who are present:
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sugiono, who also serves as Deputy Chair of IPSI,
Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Erick Thohir,
Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Prof. Brian Yuliarto,
Minister of State Secretary, Mr. Prasetyo Hadi;
Honorable Chief of the Indonesian National Police, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo;
Honorable Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), General Agus Subiyanto;
Honorable Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army, General Maruli Simanjuntak;
National figure and Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Honorable Retired General Agum Gumelar;
Honorable Chair of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, Mr. Raja Sapta Oktohari;
Honorable President of the Pencak Silat Federation of Asia, Prof. Zainudin Amali;
Honorable and esteemed Members of the Board of Trustees, Advisory Council, Secretary General, and all Members of the Executive Board of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (PB IPSI);
Honorable Chairs of Indonesian Pencak Silat Schools, Historical Schools, and regional IPSI executives who are present;
Distinguished guests, as well as my esteemed members of the press and media;
Honorable leaders of State-Owned Enterprises and private companies who have graciously joined us.
Honorable [Member] of the Board of Trustees of IPSI West Java, Inspector General of Police Rudi Darmoko;
Honorable [Chair] of the Advisory Council of PB IPSI, Mr. Moerdjoko;
Honorable Chair of the Budget and Business Planning Division, Mr. Dalyatno Partoharjono;
Honorable Chair of the Expert Council Division, Mr. Bambang Rus Effendy;
Honorable Chair of Persaudaraan Setia Hati, Mr. Pudji Handoko;
Honorable Chair of Persaudaraan Setia Hati Terate, Mr. Muhammad Taufiq;
Honorable Chair of Perisai Diri, Mr. Dwi Soetjipto;
Honorable Chair of the National Silat School Perisai Putih, Mr. Suprapto;
Honorable Chair of Tapak Suci Putera Muhammadiyah, Mr. Afnan Hadikusumo;
Honorable Chair of the Phashadja Mataram Pencak Silat School, Mr. Raden Andri Darmawanto;
Honorable Chair of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Organization, Mr. Galih Santika;
Honorable Chair of the Persatuan Pencak Silat Putra Betawi, Retired Major General Nachrowi Ramli. He was my bunkmate at the Military Academy. Unlike me, who was a bit of a troublemaker back then, he was very disciplined, but I’m the president now. Still, I can attest that he was disciplined in every way. He never missed a single prayer;
Honorable Chair of Pencak Silat Bela Diri Tangan Kosong Merpati Putih, Retired Lieutenant General Mohamad Hasan;
Honorable Chair of Pencak Silat Satria Muda Indonesia, Mr. Edhy Prabowo;
Honorable Chair of Persinas ASAD, Retired First Marshal Sukur;
Honorable Chair of Tetada Kalimasada Indonesia, Mr. Eddy Surohadi;
Honorable Chair of Pagar Nusa, Mr. Muchamad Nabil Haroen;
Honorable Chair of the Bakti Negara Pencak Silat School;
Honorable Chair of the PAMUR Pencak Silat School;
Honorable Chair of the Panglipur Pencak Silat School;
Honorable Chair of the Putra Siliwangi Pencak Silat School;
Honorable Chair of the Tadjimalela Pencak Silat School;
Honorable Chair of the Military Pencak Silat Association;
Honorable Chair of Kera Sakti;
Distinguished figures who have long been advocates for pencak silat: Mr. Aulia Bonanza, Mr. Jatnika Nanggamiharja, and Mr. M. Nazaruddin.
Ladies and gentlemen, supporters of IPSI. We are joined here by the President Director of PT Pertamina, Mr. Simon Aloysius Mantiri;
the President Director of PT PLN, Mr. Darmawan Prasodjo;
the Head of SKK Migas, Mr. Djoko Siswanto;
the President Director of PT Wahyu Samudera Indah, Mr. Daniel Wiharjo;
Director of PT. Sintra Sinarindo Elektrik, Mr. Yohanes Purnawan Wijaya;
President Director of PT. Prima Indah Lestari, Mr. Andree Lordianto;
Director of PT. Jasa Marga, Mr. Yoga Tri Anggoro.
I have to read these one by one because they play a very large role in the development of pencak silat.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As people of faith, let us never forget to express our gratitude to Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, the Almighty Lord, the Great Lord of all creation. It is to Him alone that we pray, and it is from Him alone that we seek help.
We are grateful for all the blessings and well-being that we continue to receive, which have allowed us to gather in this beautiful hall this afternoon for the 16th National Congress of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association for the 2026–2030 term, under the theme “Pencak Silat Goes Global: The Road to the Olympics.”
Today is a day filled with pride and joy for me, as well as a great honor, because if I count the days, I have now dedicated 34 years to pencak silat, if my memory serves, as deputy chair for four terms, and then as the chair for five terms. Thank God, today I am here to announce that I will be stepping down as Chair of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (PB IPSI) due to my current national duties, which demand so much of my time that I can no longer effectively fulfill the role as the Chair. I would also like to apologize because, for almost three years now, I have not been very active in the forefront, but I have always supported from behind, ladies and gentlemen. Especially now that I am the president, I believe the development of IPSI will be even stronger.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Previously, the IPSI Chair was Mr. Edi Nalapraya; I am his successor. I have no idea who you will choose to replace me. But, ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to share a bit of a nostalgic story. My grandfather was also a fan and co-founder of the Setia Hati pencak silat school in Madiun, this was before independence, and he trained until he was old in his room, practicing breathing techniques and so on. My father was also a board of trustee member of the IPSI Executive Board for quite some time. So, for me, pencak silat is a calling as a member of the nation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
When I joined the Military Academy, we were already required to learn various forms of martial arts. We were required to learn judo. Boxing was mandatory. And, pencak silat had already begun to be taught. Almost all disciplines, even fencing, were compulsory. So, ladies and gentlemen, I believe this was only natural. When I began my first assignment in the special forces, the Red Berets at that time, we were also required to learn pencak silat. This was because back then, one of the Advisor of the Army, General Mung Parhadimulyo, a former commander of RPKAD (the Army Para-Commando Regiment), was also an advisor of Merpati Putih. Therefore, all of us were required to learn Merpati Putih. In the past, I could also perform breaking technique. Even now, I still have some scars. So, it can be said that pencak silat is a part of my calling.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Why must we preserve pencak silat? Why must we safeguard it and continue to develop it? Because pencak silat is part of our culture. It is part of our heritage, and it is part of a warrior’s discipline, the art of self-defense.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The independence of a nation, the rise of a nation, and the success of a nation are determined by the spirit of its people. And the spirit of its people is shaped by their ability to protect themselves, to protect their families, to protect their villages, and ultimately, to protect their communities. This philosophy is embraced by all successful nations, that every citizen of the nation must be strong: physically, spiritually, in faith, and in character. Without this strength, a nation will not endure.
Today, we see nations that are wealthy, nations that possess everything. Yet, whether their people are truly strong depends once again on both the physical strength and spiritual strength. Therefore, it is a calling for every patriot to understand this, to reflect upon it, and to uphold it.
Ladies and gentlemen,
There was a time when the educated segments of our society were deeply impressed by all things from abroad. Anything from abroad seemed superior in our eyes. This, to some extent, affected the spiritual strength and morale of our nation. Frankly speaking, in my view, feelings of inferiority developed, what in Dutch is called minderwaardigheidscomplex, minderwaardigheidscomplex and in English, an inferiority complex, an inferiority complex. Subconsciously, many educated Indonesians took greater pride in things from outside Indonesia.
Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, IPSI is one of the key pillars. I am grateful, and I am proud that for many years you have continued to support me. Together, we have preserved our cultural pride. We take pride in wearing teluk belanga clothing, we take pride in wearing the kopiah, we take pride in wearing the sarong, we take pride in wearing songket. These are our cultural identities. You can see how many presidents before me, from President Jokowi to me, every national occasion we wear traditional attire from various regions. Maybe this month or this year, we would wear attire from a particular region, and another region another time. We are proud of our culture. We respect all nations, and we respect all peoples, but we must never forget our own nation. A great nation is one that honors its own culture, one that honors its parents and its ancestors.
We, IPSI, all pencak silat schools, uphold our respect like our ancestors. When we meet our teachers, our elders, or anyone, we show respect. This is the significance of IPSI. And therefore, although pencak silat is indeed a sport, a martial art, but it is more than that. Pencak silat reflects the character of the Indonesian nation. We hold firmly to the wisdom of our ancestors. A strong man, a teacher, a man of spiritual strength, a man of deep knowledge, yet the teaching of our teachers is ‘with more knowledge, one becomes humbler’. That is our philosophy, humility, not inferiority.
We are respectful, polite and courteous. Those are our culture. A knight, a warrior, always stands for truth, always defends the weak, always protects the oppressed, always upholds justice. A warrior walks the righteous path, the straight path. A warrior must be brave but must never be arrogant. A warrior must not act improperly, whether in words or in conduct. This is what our teachers have taught us, my teachers, and your teachers as well.
Almost all pencak silat schools, and indeed nearly all martial arts traditions around the world that I have observed, teach the same principle. This knowledge is for self-defense, to defend yourself, to defend your family, to defend your village, to defend your community, and ultimately, to defend your nation. Ladies and gentlemen, if every hamlet, every village, every district has strong community, good community, stable community, then this nation would also be strong.
Ladies and gentlemen,
For centuries, we were disturbed, again and again, because the Nusantara archipelago is extraordinarily rich. In the past and today, we have a rich land, and in the past and today, we have been targeted. It was not us who went to them, it was they who came to us, one after another, the Spanish, the Portuguese, the French, the British, the Mongols, the Japanese, and others. And we are a hospitable people. We receive our guests warmly, right? That is our nature. In our villages, across our archipelago, almost every tribe welcomes visitors with open arms, ‘monggo pinarak’ (welcome). Even when we have no rice, we borrow from our neighbors so we can serve our guests. If we have no sugar, we borrow from our neighbors. Isn’t that right? You know that, right? This is our culture. The problem is, when those people come, they see, “Wow, this nation is so kind,” and they refuse to go home. As a result, we’re forced to drive them away, to stand up to them. Back then, pencak silat was banned, and we weren’t allowed to learn it, so eventually our teachers had to train us in secret at night. Late at night, on the hills, on the mountains, in the mosques, that’s how it was. Right?
Ladies and gentlemen,
This is why pencak silat was once considered a rural sport, because the colonial authorities in the cities banned it. So, those who wanted to learn pencak silat had to go to villages, to the countryside, to the mountains. They trained in secret, and the knowledge was passed on quietly. Many teachings weren’t meant to be seen by outsiders. That’s true, right? There were all kinds of things like that. I used to hear about a teacher here, I’d go looking for him, or a teacher there, I’d go looking for him, just like all of you, searching for all kinds of martial arts knowledge. Especially since we’re soldiers, right?
Ladies and gentlemen,
I’d like to take a moment to look back, because this is where I’m stepping down, saying my goodbyes. As your Chair and previously Deputy Chair, I’ve been part of IPSI for 34 years, and I’m going to keep supporting the organization, whether I hold a position or not. A warrior is a warrior until his last breath, ladies and gentlemen.
There are still many tasks ahead for PB IPSI. I apologize that I have not succeeded in bringing pencak silat to the Olympics. We will keep trying. I believe my successor will succeed. I am confident. I don’t know if you have anyone in mind to replace me, but I suggest you look for the best candidate.
This concludes my remarks, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for always supporting me. We have brought honor to our nation on the international stage. We have reason to be proud. In several events, we have won numerous gold, silver, and bronze medals. We have upheld our nation’s honor on the world stage. The journey is still long, and we hope that pencak silat will make it into the Olympics, and we are confident that it will. But we also don’t need to be, well, too fixated on it. Our focus should be on maintaining the quality and authenticity of pencak silat itself. If the art is pure and strong, ladies and gentlemen, people will come from all over to learn it, as has been proven by the many countries that have come to us to learn, and some of them have become great practitioners. This is the risk of being a teacher, isn’t it? We once trained Vietnam and Thailand, and eventually they became great and even defeated us. However, that is a teacher’s duty.
What is that being shown? That was from my younger days. Back then, my skills were still quite good. Now, of course, they are not what they once were.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for your loyal support during my tenure as leader. I hereby declare that I am stepping down and apologize for refusing to run for another term. I am confident that there is a worthy successor to carry on the leadership baton at IPSI, and I will certainly support the IPSI Executive Board moving forward, ladies and gentlemen.
Thus, my duty now is to open the IPSI National Congress. By saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, on Saturday, April 11, 2026, I, Prabowo Subianto, President of the Republic of Indonesia, hereby officially open the 16th National Congress of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association.
Thank you.
Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. (FI/LW)