March 23, 2026 | 09:40 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stated that the security and social situation in the country is not as bad as many people imagine, even compared to conditions in several other countries. According to him, Indonesia remains relatively safe overall.
Prabowo expressed this during a roundtable discussion with journalists and experts at his private residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. The President mentioned that social issues and violence often occur in many countries, and are not unique phenomena only in Indonesia. "This is a social problem everywhere, but our country is not doing that bad," Prabowo said as quoted from a video interview uploaded on Prabowo's YouTube account.
The President urged the public not to have a negative perception of the national situation. He gave examples of several major countries that often face intense violent crimes and become the focus of international attention. He cited incidents of robbery or assaults on trains that often occur in several major cities around the world, even due to the racial backgrounds of the passengers.
"You go to many countries. On trains, you get robbed. You get beaten, just because of your race," Prabowo said to illustrate how complex the social issues are in various countries. This statement refers to the fact that security issues are not only Indonesia's problem, but also a serious global issue.
In the interview, Prabowo also compared the Indonesian police institution with the situation in the United States, which recently gained global public attention through the Black Lives Matter movement, an activism highlighting systemic racism and the brutality of authorities against black people.
"You are disappointed with our police. You can see the police in America. Black Lives Matter. Innocent people get shot," Prabowo said. He emphasized that each country has its own challenges in law enforcement.
Then, the President invited the public to assess the performance of the Indonesian police fairly and proportionally. According to him, out of around 400,000 police personnel, many of them work hard and professionally in carrying out their duties.
Prabowo assessed that deviant actions or tendencies of legal violations not only occur in one institution, but can be found in various other institutions. "There are some discordant elements. In all of our bureaucracy, many things are not in order. Yes, we want to try. We hope the generations to come will be better," he said.
This statement emerged at a time when several human rights institutions and civil society organizations addressed allegations of violence by authorities against demonstrators and activists in previous years. Reports from Amnesty International indicate the use of excessive force by law enforcement in some protest actions in 2025.
Prabowo emphasized that the negative image of law enforcement institutions is the result of the actions of a few powerful individuals. "We also have to be fair; it's always about a bad apple. Maybe a few individuals, but they have power; they can do whatever they want. But hundreds of thousands of other police officers are tarnished by their bad name," he said.
The President assessed that the nature of the issue is global and not just a reflection of Indonesia. Therefore, he emphasized the importance of making internal corrections within every institution before the government takes further policy steps.
Prabowo gave each institution the chance to correct its own mistakes before the government took further action. He cited audit mechanisms. He said that, in leadership, audit steps are sometimes the best path.
Read: Prabowo Commits to Rational Policy in Indonesian Police Reform
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