President Prabowo Affirms Commitment to 1945 Constitution
President Prabowo after delivering a speech at Nusantara Building, Jakarta on Tuesday (5/20). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)
President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday (5/20) emphasized the importance of consistently implementing the mandate of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution in his speech during the Plenary Session of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) at the Nusantara Building of the MPR/DPR/DPD RI Complex in Jakarta. He stated that Article 33 serves as the blueprint of the national economy and must become the primary guideline in managing the nation’s wealth for the prosperity of the people.
In his speech, President Prabowo reminded the audience of the contents of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, which places the principle of kinship and mutual cooperation as the main foundation of Indonesia’s economy.
“From this podium, I would like to remind everyone once again of the wording of Article 33. Paragraph one of Article 33 states: ‘The economy shall be organized as a common endeavor based upon the principle of familyhood,’” the President said.
He stressed that Indonesia’s economic philosophy was not built upon the principles of neoliberal capitalism or systems that benefit only certain groups. According to the President, all citizens must be able to enjoy the benefits of national economic development.
“There are no other principles mentioned. No principles of neoliberal capitalism, no principles of conglomeration, no principle that the rich may become endlessly richer while the poor are blamed for being poor. That is not the philosophy of Pancasila,” the President emphasized.
He stated that the nation’s founders had clearly formulated the direction of the national economy through Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution. Therefore, many of the current economic problems are, in his view, inseparable from deviations from the constitutional mandate.
“This is the blueprint of our economy, ladies and gentlemen. Whenever we deviate from this blueprint, then we should blame no one except ourselves for failing to uphold the trust entrusted by our founding fathers,” the President said.
He also argued that the consistent implementation of Article 33 could prevent various forms of economic misconduct, such as under-invoicing, export manipulation, illegal mining, and illegal logging, all of which have caused significant losses to the state.
In his speech, the President also highlighted the weak law enforcement against illegal mining activities in protected forest areas. He questioned how such illegal operations could continue for years without firm action being taken.
“How is it possible that people can mine in protected forests for years and no one dares to enforce the law?” he asked firmly.
The President revealed that the potential funds that could be recovered from national economic leakages are estimated to reach 150 billion US dollars per year. However, he stressed that achieving such recovery depends on the courage and determination of all parties to carry out reforms together.
“We must collectively have the courage to seek solutions and the courage to take action,” he stated.
President Prabowo once again reaffirmed his commitment to carrying out the mandate of the 1945 Constitution and improving national economic governance. He reminded the nation that Indonesia cannot expect better results if it continues repeating the same mistakes.
“We understand and realize that if we continue repeating the same mistakes, we should not expect to achieve better results,” the President concluded.
President Prabowo’s speech reaffirmed the government’s broader direction for returning to the Constitution as the foundation for governance, improving economic management, and ensuring that the nation’s wealth is truly used for the welfare of all Indonesian people. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (RD/LW)
