Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto gets candid about why he rarely gives interviews to the media. According to the head of state, he prefers to prove his worth through tangible results.
Prabowo made this statement during a disaster management meeting in Sumatra with several officials in Aceh on Thursday, January 1, 2025. He prefaced this by advising his ministers to be prepared for receiving criticism and not to lose their spirits.
For Prabowo, the most important thing is for his ministers to continue working for the Indonesian people. "I believe in evidence-based results. That's how I work," he said, as broadcast on the President's Secretariat YouTube channel.
"I understand the psychology of Indonesians," he said, adding that the people crave for the evidence of real work. He admitted to having rarely been interviewed by the media, but denied that it was because he did not respect them.
"Indonesians only believe in evidence. And we are now in the process of proving it," he said.
During the meeting, Prabowo addressed the criticisms his administration received over disaster handling in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
Some critics have questioned the effectiveness of visits by officials to the disaster sites. "I see this as our duty, and I am thankful to all the elements I observed going down to the field," Prabowo said, according to a statement from the Presidential Secretariat.
He emphasized that government ministries and agencies assigned to the affected areas were not merely visiting for observation. Officials actively identified problems on the ground and took steps to address them.
Despite these efforts, Prabowo noted that some observers continue to frame the government's actions negatively.
Prabowo also acknowledged criticisms questioning why ministers visit disaster areas. "I have heard remarks like, 'Why do ministers go to disaster sites? They only come to see the struggling brothers and sisters,'" he said.
The president argued that the government faces a lose-lose scenario: if officials do not visit disaster zones, they are seen as uncaring; if they do, they may still face criticism.
– Sultan Abdurrahman contributed to the writing of this article.