THE MINISTER of Defense who is also a presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto, said that Indonesia still respects the powers in the world, including the United States, Russia and China.
Indonesia, explained Prabowo, will establish good relations with any country, but Indonesia’s resources must still be managed by themselves so that they can bring prosperity to the people. “Good relations with other countries so that they can bring in foreign investment, open markets for us and create jobs for us. reduce the poverty rate,” said Prabowo in the Speech of the Indonesian Presidential Candidate: Direction and Strategy of Foreign Policy at the Center for Strategic of International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta, Monday (13/11).
Indonesia, said Prabowo, needs stability and peace so that the economy can develop, for the welfare of the people. However, he again emphasized that national resources must be managed by themselves.
“We have to take care of our people first,” he said. When Prabowo was asked whether he would still involve China, especially in poverty alleviation, when elected, Prabowo said he still admired the success of China’s leaders in eradicating poverty from their country. According to him, it was an achievement.
“Every country and its civilization has its own way of managing things. If the government in a country eliminates poverty, it could be for us to learn how they do it, but that doesn’t mean we have to copy their methods,” explained Prabowo.
Furthermore, he said that many educated elites tend to look to the west in many things. He gave the example of western nations being successful in various fields ranging from reform, industrial revolution, renaissance and the development of democracy. “But we can’t just copy it and bring it to Indonesia. “We also have to look at other countries (to develop), for example Japan, Korea, China, India,” he continued. “The direction of Indonesia’s foreign policy, stressed Prabowo, has been clear since independence that Indonesia has the principle of a non-aligned movement.
Indonesia’s foreign policy tradition continues to decline without taking sides with any geopolitical bloc. “I am committed to continuing this tradition because it is not only our tradition but also the hope of the majority of the people and our national interests,” he explained. (Z-10)
Source: Media Indonesia
