Prabowo: Remarks Twisted to Make It Seem He Disrespects Experts - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto claimed that he respects experts. He believes his words were often twisted to make it seem like he doesn't appreciate experts.
Prabowo made this statement in front of more than 20 academics during a limited meeting on forest fire mitigation at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
The meeting discussed how to handle potentially recurrent peatland fires. The Head of State initially asked for experts’ opinions and suggestions about peatland management to prevent forest fires.
"So, my friends, don't misinterpret, sometimes when I speak to the audience, it is often twisted. It is said that I do not respect the experts," said Prabowo, quoted from a video on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel on Friday, September 25, 2026.
The former Defense Minister during Joko Widodo's administration said he actually respects experts the most. Prabowo mentioned that his success as a soldier of the Indonesian National Armed Forces was thanks to experts. "I have the utmost respect for experts. Why was I successful as an officer? Because I always sought out experts," he said.
Therefore, he asked academics for input on what can be done to prevent forest fires. Prabowo mentioned that he had already instructed his aides to anticipate fires. In addition, the deployment of helicopters for water bombing has also been carried out. However, ground firefighting efforts have proven to be more effective.
"So, what do we have to do, I ask for input from all of you. For physical mitigation, we do it, firefighting must be ready, there should be no delay before the fire, build reservoirs, before any fires, set up pumps, prepare all of that. Well, with peat, if there could be a scientific solution," said Prabowo.
Previously, President Prabowo referred to experts as "stupid" during a speech at the 28th Anniversary of the National Mandate Party in Jakarta on Friday, September 18, 2026. Prabowo said that some experts were so confident in their intelligence that they ended up being stupid.
On that day, Prabowo claimed that he did not mind the criticisms directed at him. However, he stated that he would not accept slanderous criticism. "It's up to the experts who consider themselves experts. So smart that they become stupid," said Prabowo.
The Gerindra Party chair said that intellectuals have a responsibility to be honest. "I remind you, if you have intelligence, don't forget, an intellectual must be honest. That's called intellectual honesty," said Prabowo.
