At Golkar’s 61st Anniversary, Prabowo Mixes Discipline, Humor, and Strategy in a Sweeping Address

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — President Prabowo Subianto delivered a wide-ranging, at times personal, at times forceful address at Golkar’s 61st anniversary celebration on Friday night, using the ruling coalition’s stage to issue stern warnings to economic actors, critique Indonesia’s political structure, unveil major defense and disaster-response plans, and offer rare public praise for several key figures within the party.

Before a packed audience at Istora Senayan, Prabowo moved fluidly between admonition, gratitude, humor, and national messaging, capturing the attention of political elites, business leaders, ministers, and supporters who gathered for one of Golkar’s most important political rituals of the year.

A Call to the Business Sector: “Obey the Law and Pay Your Taxes”

Prabowo opened with a direct message to Indonesia’s economic players, calling on them to meet their obligations to the state.

“To my friends and colleagues in the economy: obey the law, pay your taxes, follow all the rules,” he said.

He warned that the era of impunity was ending. “Our people no longer want to be deceived. They are intelligent; they understand.”

Growing more pointed, Prabowo rejected claims that he is bold only on stage but timid when legal institutions move against powerful interests. “Some say, ‘Prabowo is Rambo at the podium,’ but when the Attorney General or the KPK take action, they accuse me of acting arbitrarily. No,” he said. “If someone violates the law, return to the right path. If you repent, whatever you owe the state, you must pay.”

He framed tax compliance as essential to national development and dismissed those who disrupt public discourse without contributing solutions.

“Can you build a bridge with words?” he asked. “Our people need houses and schools. You cannot build schools with mere noise. Some people like to stir things up. But our people know who works and who only talks.”

High-Cost Politics and Prabowo’s Support for Revisiting Regional Elections

Prabowo then shifted to one of the evening’s most consequential themes: Indonesia’s democratic model and the financial costs associated with it. He argued that high-cost elections remain “a major source of corruption” and urged a national reassessment of the country’s political architecture.

“Western democracy may not suit us,” he said. “They taught democracy to us, yet they colonized us. They taught human rights, yet they violated human rights. It seems democracy and human rights depend on their preferences.”

Prabowo expressed openness to Golkar chairman Bahlil Lahadalia’s proposal to return regional elections (pilkada) to local legislatures (DPRD), a system used before Indonesia adopted direct elections.

“This expensive politics, this attempt to imitate other countries—I think it is a very large source of corruption,” he said. “If we elect district and provincial parliaments, why not let them choose governors and regents? Many countries do—Malaysia, India, England, Canada, Singapore.”

He urged political leaders to act boldly in pursuing a democratic system that is less costly but still preserves accountability. “Let us be brave,” he said.

A Direct Appeal on Disaster Response: “The People Are Watching”

Against the backdrop of catastrophic floods across Sumatra, Prabowo emphasized readiness and rapid response as core responsibilities of his administration.

“The people see how quickly the government responds,” he said. “There is a disaster in one part of our homeland, and state resources are there immediately.”

He voiced solidarity with affected families. “This disaster is something we feel in our hearts—the suffering, the hardship, the challenges of our brothers and sisters.”

Prabowo also underscored Indonesia’s resilience. “Even as we feel sorrow, I am proud of the officers I lead, proud of this government. We show our people that we work for them, plan for them, think for them.”

Prabowo Announces Procurement of 200 Helicopters

One of the most striking elements of his speech was the announcement of a massive aviation expansion for disaster response and national operations.

“This week five new helicopters arrived, and more will continue to arrive,” Prabowo said. “I have ordered that starting January next year and beyond, we will bring 200 helicopters to Indonesia.”

He defended Indonesia’s purchase of Hercules C-130J aircraft and Airbus A400 transports, saying the country’s geography—straddling the seismically active Ring of Fire—requires constant preparedness.

“If there is a disaster or war, you cannot go to a store and buy a helicopter,” he said. “A leader must think ahead, calculate, plan. That is the leader’s duty.”

Praise for Bahlil Lahadalia: “A Very Intelligent and Detail-Oriented Leader”

Prabowo then turned to Golkar chairman and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, offering unusually warm public praise.

“I must acknowledge, Pak Bahlil is a very intelligent person—truly,” he said. “Very intelligent, and every event is carefully detailed.”

Prabowo also commended Bahlil’s fieldwork in the flood zones of Sumatra. “He went to the ground, truly went to the field,” Prabowo said. “Perhaps because he is still relatively young—still fit—and of course, people from eastern Indonesia are known for that spirit.”

He offered a semi-humorous cultural reflection: “People from eastern Indonesia like to fight, yes? Quick to rise but quick to cool down. But they are loyal—fiercely loyal once their hearts are set. That is their character.”

Prabowo noted that eastern Indonesians also love festivals and food but praised Bahlil for choosing a somber, prayer-focused celebration due to the ongoing disaster.

“This is a statesman,” he said. “This is a birthday, but our brothers and sisters are suffering. There must be no party tonight. Tonight we must pray. Extraordinary, the chairman.”

Prabowo Jokes That Nusron Wahid “May Be in the Wrong Job”

The President also delivered some of the night’s lighter moments when he praised the prayer delivered by Nusron Wahid, Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning and a Golkar executive.

“I was very impressed by the prayer,” Prabowo said. “Incredible how he recited it.”

He then joked that Nusron might be in the wrong ministry. “Perhaps he has the wrong job,” Prabowo laughed. “Maybe he should move to Minister of Religious Affairs.”

The audience erupted in laughter.

Kaesang Pangarep Draws Louder Applause Than His Brother

When greeting party leaders, Prabowo acknowledged Kaesang Pangarep, chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), and noticed a particularly enthusiastic response—louder, he said, than the reaction for Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Kaesang’s brother.

“Why is it noisier than for his brother?” Prabowo asked with a laugh.

He teased that Kaesang’s physique and looks might be the reason. “Maybe because he is bigger. And handsome. Mothers love the handsome ones.”

Bahlil Thanks Prabowo for Conferring National Hero Status on Suharto

In a separate segment of the celebration, Bahlil Lahadalia publicly thanked President Prabowo for awarding national hero status to Indonesia’s second president, Suharto.

“Through a good mechanism, Golkar proposed to President Prabowo that President Suharto be named a national hero, and we are grateful that he granted it,” Bahlil said.

He praised Suharto as the architect of Indonesia’s high-growth era. “Under President Suharto, growth reached above 7%, inflation fell below 15%, we achieved self-sufficiency in food and energy, and we were known as an Asian Tiger.”

Bahlil acknowledged differing views on Suharto’s legacy but said national recognition was deserved. “We respect the pros and cons,” he said. “Such things are normal.”

Suharto was among ten figures awarded the 2025 National Hero title, alongside Gus Dur and labor activist Marsinah.

A Speech that Blended Power, Humor, and Political Signals

Prabowo’s address ultimately functioned on several levels: a show of confidence to the coalition, a message of discipline to economic actors, a critique of Indonesia’s political operating system, a declaration of large-scale national preparedness, and an affirmation of close ties within Golkar, one of Indonesia’s most influential parties.

It was a performance that captured the style Prabowo has made his own: part general, part storyteller, part political strategist—moving between levity and gravity as he laid out his expectations for Indonesia’s leaders and institutions.