Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Celebration of May Day at the National Monument, Jakarta, May 1, 2026
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Good morning,
May peace be upon us all,
Shalom,
Salve,
Om swastiastu,
Namo Buddhaya,
Greetings of virtue,
Merdeka!
Merdeka!
Long live the working class!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Distinguished Heads of State Institutions in attendance,
Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly Ahmad Muzani,
Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives, Professor Sufmi Dasco Ahmad,
Distinguished Ministers in attendance,
Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi,
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono,
Minister of Manpower Professor Yassierli, who has relentlessly defended your interests,
Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas,
Minister of Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Mukhtarudin,
Presidential Chief of Staff Retired Military General Dudung Abdurachman,
Chief of the Indonesian National Police Listyo Sigit Prabowo,
Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces Military General Agus Subiyanto,
Cabinet Secretary of the Republic of Indonesia Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya,
Head of the Government Communications Agency Muhammad Qodari,
First Vice Minister of State Secretary Retired Air Marshal Bambang Eko Suhariyanto,
Second Vice Minister of State Secretary Juri Ardiantoro,
Vice Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor,
Vice Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Ahmad Riza Patria,
Governor of Special Region of Jakarta Pramono Anung Wibowo—we share “Bowo” in our name, but we don’t share the same political party, and that is okay.
Workers don’t have a party, but we all defend workers’ interests.
Leaders of Workers’ Unions,
Chairperson of the Confederation of All Indonesian Workers’ Union (KSPSI) who also serves as Minister of the Environment
President of Confederation of All Indonesian Workers’ Union Andi Gani Nena Wea,
President of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Union (KSPI) Said Iqbal,
President of the Confederation of All Indonesian Trade Union (KSBSI) Elly Rosita Silaban,
Chairperson of the Indonesian Labor Union Confederation (KPBI) Ilhamsyah.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Also here with us are President Directors of the Healthcare Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) and the Workers Social Security Agency,
Also here with us are Chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chairperson of the National Board of the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO), Chairperson of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneur Association (HIPMI), and leaders of SOEs and private companies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let us offer our gratitude to the Almighty God, Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala, for blessing us with health that allowed us to gather on this historic day, May 1, May Day, International Labor Day.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today is the day of the fight of the working class. Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for inviting me to attend the event today, amongst all of you. This is an honor for me. Thank you. In my view, the working class has always supported me, and I think I became president thanks to the support of the working class, farmers, fishers, and all workers across Indonesia. I am determined, I swear to fight for the interests of all Indonesian people, especially for those who have a difficult life. That is my duty. That is the duty of the Government that I lead, and that is our determination. We will not back down, we will not give up, and we will not hesitate to defend the interests of the people of Indonesia.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I believe that within the past year, you can assess the policies that the Government has enforced. They are all policies that defend all Indonesian people, especially the working class.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We have named Ms. Marsinah a national hero, and this month I will travel to Nglundo village in Nganjuk regency, East Java province, to inaugurate a museum dedicated to the labor struggle, the Marsinah Museum.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, I can tell you that we have passed Domestic Workers Protection Bill into Law. If I’m not mistaken, it has been a long fight, a fight of 22 years. In fact, since the Republic was created, there had never been a Law on Domestic Workers Protection. All this time, domestic workers had no clear basis for their wages. Now, for the first time in the history of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, we enact the Law on Domestic Workers Protection.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you. I am moved. I was invited to be among you all because I realize, I feel, and I respect your fight, Ladies and Gentlemen. People who work in earnest, with dedication, and wholeheartedly are noble people, people who make an honest living, people who strive for their wives and children.
Every day, people make an honest living. In my experience, workers, farmers, fishers, and those who live difficult lives are honest, sincere people. It makes me sad that the higher the position, the more people stray from the right path. I do not understand. People get smarter; many people are smart, but they become swindlers. I cannot fathom the reason. I truly cannot fathom it.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I feel a calling because I joined the military when I was young. I joined the military because I want to protect the country, I want to defend the country, and I want to defend my people. However, I was surprised to see that when I retired, many of my people were still struggling. I have put my life on the line many times for this country, but I see that many of the elites steal from the people. This is not what I fought for. I did not fight for the country that is robbed by swindlers. I will not accept this.
I cannot accept the fact that any child in Indonesia should go hungry. I cannot accept the fact that mothers cannot provide milk for their children. I cannot accept the fact that government officials to whom the people put their trust should collude with immoral businesspeople, with greedy businesspeople.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Nevertheless, I am asking each of us to be mature. Not every businessperson is greedy. Many of them conduct business with integrity. We need them to maintain economic activities. We must not hate the wealthy, but if they earn their wealth by robbing…
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have run for president five times, five times. I lost four times, but I believe that farmers and fishers have always been on my side, Ladies and Gentlemen. We knew that sometimes, sometimes they used clever tricks, but that’s alright. In the end, you gave the mandate to me, and believe me, I will give everything to defend my people. I will spend the rest of my life, the rest of my life for my people, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Go ask all of my ministers. In making policies, in formulating policies, I order the ministers to think and ask whether they will benefit the grassroots. If they benefit the grassroots, implement them. That is the right thing. Do not hesitate, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I issued Presidential Decree Number 10 of 2026 on the Establishment of Layoff Mitigation and Workers’ Prosperity Task Force. Do not worry. We will defend the interests of workers. We will defend those threatened with layoff, and we will protect them, Ladies and Gentlemen. If some businesspeople give up, do not worry. Our country is strong. Our country will take over. Our country will defend the people of Indonesia. Fret not.
If you pay attention, the whole world is in crisis. Many countries have panicked, while we remain safe. We achieved food self-sufficiency. We have enough food and fuel oil. In a few years, shortly, we will achieve fuel oil self-sufficiency, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I received many recommendations, and most of the recommendations from your leaders make sense, and we will take follow-up actions. I was told that workers need daycare services. This is a good recommendation. We will work on it. We will make them available as soon as possible, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I was also told that workers desperately need housing, affordable housing. We have built quite many this year, 350,000 houses, but we aim to at least build one million houses. We will begin to build one million houses right this year. And these houses will be built according to your recommendations, Ladies and Gentlemen. We will create clusters near industrial areas, near workplaces.
I have also planned to create new cities, brand new cities. Every city will perhaps consist of 100,000 houses, 100,000 flats. And as I ordered, it must have a school, sports facility, daycare service, hospital, and most importantly [access to] transportation, be it light rail trains or buses, so workers can get to work smoothly and properly. Ladies and Gentlemen, we will make efforts to provide workers with cards that allow them to access transportation at a very affordable price. Everyone wants it for free. Your leaders behind me want it for free. Calm down, calm down.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Everywhere… after I became president, I learned and saw the data that, trust me, our country is very rich, Ladies and Gentlemen. However, a large sum of our wealth is stolen. They operate plantations without a permit. Many operate mines without a license. I have taken over all of these, Ladies and Gentlemen. As of today, we have regained control of almost five million hectares [of land]. The ownership has returned to the people. I have calculated that by the end of 2026, we will have regained control of over eight million hectares. We have closed down thousands of illegal mines, thousands. We will manage them, and we will control them all for the prosperity of all Indonesian people, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
You said that you spend 30 percent of your income on rent. We will make sure that you will own that house. We will lower the cost of rent, and you will pay that amount for the ownership installment. The installment should be up to 20 years. If that’s not possible, 25 years. If the amount is not fully paid in 25 years, 30 years. If not possible, 35 years, 40 years, because workers are unlikely to run away. Am I right? Farmers and fishers are unlikely to run away.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
All this time, the underprivileged have always paid an incredibly high interest rate for their loan. Am I right? The loan interest rate for the underprivileged can reach 70 percent a year. Am I right? I have ordered state-owned banks to shortly disburse credit for the people with a 5-percent annual interest cap.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Online transportation drivers. These drivers work hard. They put their lives on the line every day. The application companies demand a 20-percent commission. What do you think, online drivers? Do you accept 20 percent? How about 15 percent? How much? Ten? You want 10 percent? Yes? Let me tell you right here that I do not accept 10 percent. It must be below 10 percent. You break your back, but they pocket the cash. How convenient. I’m sorry, but if they don’t want to follow our rules, they shouldn’t do business in Indonesia.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There is one more gift for workers. I just signed Presidential Regulation Number 25 of 2026 on the Ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention Number 188 to ensure the protection and welfare of fishing vessel crews.
This year, we will inaugurate 1,386 fishing villages. For the first time in the history of the Republic of Indonesia, fishers are given special attention. Next year, we will open 1,500 fishing villages. Another 1,500 in the following year, and 1,500 more in the year after that. Altogether, we will improve the lives of approximately six million fishers. Including their wives and children, over 20 million Indonesians will have a better life. They will live in prosperity. They’ve had a hard time going to sea without ice. Now, we are building ice factories in every fishing village. We will also help by providing them [fishing] vessels.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We also issued another regulation. I recently signed Presidential Regulation Number 27 of 2026 on the Protection of Online Transportation Workers, which I mentioned earlier. They must be provided with insurance for occupational accidents, healthcare insurance from BPJS Kesehatan. Additionally, with the existing income distribution, drivers receive 80 percent. They must now receive a minimum of 92 percent. We have also increased the minimum wage. We provide more subsidized housing for workers. We give a holiday bonus to drivers and couriers. We keep our words. We extend work opportunities for workers with disabilities. We give a 50-percent discount for Occupational Injury and Life Insurance Contributions for non-wage earners.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have also ordered Minister of Manpower and Minister of Law to work together with the House of Representatives to complete the Employment Bill. If possible, it should be completed this year, and the law must side with the working class.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is our hope that our law will always guarantee justice for all Indonesian people.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We also allocate an incredible amount for social protection. This year, we allocated Rp500 trillion for people with low income.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We also provide free nutritious meals (MBG). Let me ask you, Ladies and Gentlemen, does MBG bring benefits? MBG is essential for our children. Ladies and Gentlemen, many of our children are malnourished. Their bodies are small, and their cells do not properly develop. MBG invigorates the economy, my fellow citizens. The people need eggs. They need meat. They need vegetables, milk, and fish. It revitalizes our economy. It helps farmers make earnings, Ladies and Gentlemen. As the money circulates, Indonesia grows stronger and more prosperous, my fellow citizens.
We also… I ordered… I announced that we will build one million houses, and we will strive to immediately construct one million houses. It will also create many jobs. Imagine it: constructing one house requires five workers, meaning every year, we can create millions of jobs.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
That concludes my statement.
Good luck.
Enjoy your work.
Long live the working class!
Long live the people!
Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
May peace be upon us all.
Shalom,
Salve,
Om santi santi santi om,
Namo Buddhaya,
Greetings of virtue,
Rahayu-rahayu.
Merdeka!
Long live the working class!
Long live the working class!
(DH/MUR)