President Prabowo: Indonesia’s Transformation Must in Line with Environmental Preservation

National transformation must run in line with efforts to preserve the environment, President Prabowo Subianto said.

According to the President, industrial development, strengthening food security, and housing development must continue to prioritize environmental sustainability as the foundation of national development.

“We want to undergo nation transformation. That means we must develop downstream industrialization, more manufacturing facilities, and make breakthroughs in processing industries. We need food security, resilience, and self-sufficiency. We have achieved this, and we must now safeguard it. In a world filled with uncertainty, we must secure our food. We must secure the energy,” the President said during the mass signing of 62,000 Housing Loan Agreements (KPR) and Housing Microcredit Schemes (KUR) worth Rp880 billion at the Puri Delta City Side Batang area, Batang regency, Central Java province, on Thursday (07/30).

The Head of the State underscored that the transformation agenda must be coupled with commitment to preserve environment quality. He added that waste management and environmental protection are important measures to address climate change and improve the quality of life of our people.

“As a human being, we must have the initiative to preserve [the nature]. We must manage the waste. In one or two years, hopefully we will make significant change to control the waste. By the end of 2027, waste problem in Indonesia will be solved. There will be no more mountain of garbage. We will realize it,” he said.

The President also said that a clean and and beautiful environment is one of the key factors in supporting the development of the tourism sector. In addition to creating job opportunities, tourism will continue to grow when supported by clean, well-organized cities, coastal areas, and public spaces.

On that occasion, the President called on regional heads and government officers attending the event to ensure that their respective regions remain clean because a good leadership is demonstrated through leading by example and direct involvement in protecting the environment together with the community.

“They should monitor the river every day. That is what a good leader does. You have the facilities. I do not require you to spend 5 hours there. You can monitor it at least one hour a day. So, a leader leads. A leader stands along its people,” he said.

In addition, he invited the entire community to prioritize cleanliness as a joint movement. He also revealed a plan of providing incentives for regions which successfully maintained their environmental cleanliness, and provided supporting facilities for urban greening.

“We will provide incentives for the cleanest city,” he said, adding that the Government will continue supporting the environmental preservation efforts by providing sanitation facilities, planting hundreds of millions of trees, and encouraging the creation of healthy, comfortable, and sustainable communities.

According to the President, Indonesia’s transformation is not measured solely by economic and industrial advancement, but also by the nation’s capacity to maintain environmental cleanliness, beauty, and preservation for generations to come.

“If the number of trees has declined significantly, we will plant hundreds of millions of new trees. Minister of Agriculture, I order you to create seedlings nurseries in great quality across cities and regencies,” he said. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (RAS/LW)