President Prabowo Subianto Reaffirms Commitment to Human Resource Development and Stunting Reduction

The President delivers his remarks at a Business Summit roundtable session in Washington, DC, the United States, on Wednesday (2/18).

President Prabowo Subianto has once again emphasized his administration’s commitment to accelerating human resource development, addressing stunting issue, and strengthening inclusive economic growth.

According to him, his visits to villages have opened his eyes towards stunting issues on children.

“I asked their ages. Some children that I thought were four, five, or six years old turned out to be ten, eleven, or twelve. Then, I learn that 25 percent of our children are stunted,” he said in his remarks at a Business Summit roundtable session during his working visit to Washington, DC, the United States, Wednesday (2/18).

To address this issue, the President that the Government is implementing budget savings through state spending efficiency and cutting unproductive and misappropriate expenditures, then reallocating the funds to priority programs.

“This is what I do to reallocate funds to these programs, but people tell me that I am spendthrift, and so on. No, I’m not. I’m trying to reallocate the resources,” he said.

The President also said that one of the main programs is a free nutritious meals program for children which has received international recognition, adding that the Rockefeller Institute considers this policy to be the best investment.

“Every dollar spent on free meals for children, according to the Rockefeller Institute, gives return at least $7 and in the long term, it can yield return up to 35 times,” said the President.

The Head of State also noted that the program also creates an economic multiplier effect by creating jobs and increasing demand for agricultural products, adding that the impact of this policy is also reflected in the surge in domestic consumption.

Addressing US business leaders, President Prabowo Subianto also emphasized Indonesia’s commitment to maintaining the investment climate and strengthening strategic partnerships and invited US businesses to consider Indonesia as a long-term strategic partner.

“This should be a win-win situation, with everyone benefiting. With benefits, prosperity will be created. That’s the lesson I’ve learned from history. Prosperity comes from good governance and clean Government. Prosperity comes from stability,” the President concluded. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (JAS/EP)