Prabowo admits his promises are not kept, then defends the same plan

President Prabowo Subianto told parliament on Friday that his government has not delivered everything it said it would. "I cannot yet say that all the nation's problems have been resolved, or that every promise I made has been fulfilled. Not yet," he said in his annual state address, the speech Indonesian presidents give before Independence Day. The South China Morning Post reports that he was speaking to two audiences at once, ordinary Indonesians and investors.

The line drew attention because it is out of character. Wasisto Raharjo Jati, a political sociologist at the National Research and Innovation Agency, called the admission "very surprising", saying the president has rarely accepted in public that his policies fell short. His reading is that the softer language answers public criticism that had started to damage Prabowo's standing.

What did not soften was the plan. In the same address, and in a budget speech that followed, Prabowo said the country's problems are being dealt with, predicted the economy could grow 6 per cent this year, and defended giving the state a bigger hand in strategic industries: the sectors a government decides are too important to leave to private firms alone, such as food, energy and minerals. He also pointed to food self-sufficiency, growing enough rice and other staples at home instead of buying them abroad. Analysts saw a change of tone, not a change of direction.

Why it matters

That 6 per cent forecast is the number the next budget rests on, and parliament will spend the coming weeks arguing over it. If growth lands lower, the money for programs like free school meals has to come from more borrowing or higher taxes, and that reaches you through prices and your payslip. If you run a business in food, energy or mining, the practical message is that state-led industry policy stays in place.