Arya Dipa, Bandung – Chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Prabowo Subianto is concerned that despite Indonesia's resource wealth the country has always been seen as market by producers from abroad.

"We have all the necessary requirements to build an automotive industry but we still choose to import vehicles from abroad instead of fostering an industry ourselves," Prabowo said in a meeting organized by the Indonesia Muslim Scholars Association (ICMI) in Bandung on Saturday.

If elected president in 2014 Prabowo claims he would make the construction of an automotive plant one of his top priorities, guaranteeing that the plant would be different from those that exist today.

"We will build our own brand and not just manufacture old branded vehicles," he said.

Prabowo then cited South Korea and Japan as success stories in building their own automotive brands and selling them to the world as best practices.