One Year of the Prabowo-Gibran Administration Strengthens Indonesia’s Food, Energy, and Human Resource Self-Sufficiency
By: Anindya Larasati
One year of the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has shifted the prevailing national development paradigm. The government no longer focuses solely on macroeconomic growth but has also built a more integrated policy structure, including simultaneously balancing economic stability, strengthening the rule of law, social welfare, and developing global partnerships. This strategic shift is the most striking difference from the previous administration.
The government has made a strong economic foundation its starting point. Economic growth in the second quarter of 2025 was stable at 5.12 percent, placing Indonesia among the top G20 countries.
Inflation remained stable at 2.65 percent, while the state budget deficit was only 1.56 percent of GDP. This macroeconomic stability is not merely the result of market volatility, but part of a measured fiscal strategy.
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa assessed that the policy of placing Rp 200 trillion in state-owned banks has become a driving force for domestic money circulation, subsequently revitalizing the real sector and further strengthening the resilience of the domestic economy.
The paradigm shift is also evident in the government’s efforts to build legal resilience. President Prabowo Subianto signed Presidential Regulation Number 66 of 2025 concerning State Protection for Prosecutors in Carrying Out the Duties and Functions of the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office.
This Presidential Regulation provides a legal umbrella for prosecutors facing threats while carrying out their duties. Its implementation involves all security forces, including the National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), demonstrating synergy between law enforcement agencies. This step reflects the vision that national development cannot be solid without maintaining legal stability.
This new paradigm also touches on the relationship between the state and workers. President Prabowo became the first head of state in six decades to personally attend the International Workers’ Day (May Day) commemoration at the National Monument (Monas).
This action was not merely a political symbol, but a strong message that the state is once again embracing the power of workers as strategic partners in development. More than 200,000 workers attended, bringing a spirit of collaboration, not confrontation. The government is striving to transform the traditional state-labor relationship into a more equal partnership.
The socioeconomic dimension is being strengthened through affirmative policies, such as an additional IDR 30 trillion in Direct Cash Assistance (BLT) for 35 million beneficiary families. Distribution will be carried out simultaneously through the State-Owned Enterprises (Himbara) and PT Pos Indonesia starting October 20, 2025, coinciding with the first anniversary of the government’s inauguration.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto views this measure as an effective short-term instrument for maintaining household purchasing power while simultaneously supporting domestic consumption growth.
The Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Program is a concrete example of how social policy is directed towards a multiplicative economic effect. From January to mid-October 2025, the program reached 35.4 million beneficiaries through 11,900 production kitchens.
This program not only improves the nutritional intake of the community, especially children, but also creates 1.5 million direct jobs. The government has demonstrated that social interventions can be a driver of the local economy when designed in an integrated manner.
Changes have also occurred in the approach to economic diplomacy. The bilateral meeting between President Prabowo Subianto and French President Emmanuel Macron resulted in 27 strategic cooperation agreements worth US$11 billion.
The focus included defense, education, energy transition, food security, and the free nutritious meal program. This diplomatic approach demonstrates that domestic development and foreign cooperation are not mutually exclusive, but rather mutually reinforcing.
In the natural resources sector, the government is leveraging the potential of strategic minerals such as nickel and bauxite to expand the downstream investment base. President Prabowo emphasized the importance of managing national resources sovereignly and with high added value. This view reflects a new direction for economic development that relies not solely on raw material exports but rather on industrialization and long-term investment.
The shift in development paradigm is also evident in the government’s understanding of the role of the state. The state is no longer merely a regulator, but also a facilitator and accelerator of development.
