President Prabowo: Indonesia Should Follow India’s Democratic Experience

President Prabowo Subianto at the event.

Although democracy is a challenging system to operate, it remains the best means to achieve a just and inclusive national life, President Prabowo Subianto has said.

“Democracy is not an easy road, not an easy system. It is not easy at all. Sometimes it is very messy. Nevertheless, I think we agree that it is the best system for justice, hope, and inclusivity,” the President said at the Indian Community Reception at the Jakarta International Convention Center (JICC), Central Jakarta, Tuesday (07/07).

According to the Head of State, democracy face various challenges, including threats and attempts by some parties to weaken the system.

“However, we cannot give up. We must believe in democracy and we must strive to preserve it. It is the best of all the systems that we have tried, those tried by human civilization,” the President stated.

President Prabowo also expressed appreciation for India’s success as the world’s largest democracy in maintaining governmental stability amid diversity.

“As we know, India is a country of 1.4 billion people with diverse ethnic groups and languages like Indonesia. Yet it manages so many years of peaceful transitions of government in many states. That is an extraordinary achievement,” the President said, adding that Indonesians should learn from India’s experience.

The President’s remarks underscore that Indonesia–India ties are built not only on economic, trade, and political cooperation, but also on mutual exchange of experiences in strengthening democracy, preserving unity in diversity, and building stable governance for the advancement of both nations. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (GWH/LW)