At a Full Cabinet Meeting held at the Presidential Office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, President Prabowo Subianto asked journalists to leave during a discussion about the 2026 State Budget Draft. The media were initially allowed to cover the meeting while Prabowo delivered his opening remarks and guidance.
The moment occurred when Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani was preparing to present the budget draft to the president. She reminded Prabowo about the press's presence.
"We want to present the State Budget Draft for 2026, but because this is the preparation of your financial notes, are the press still here? Because on August 15, you will present it in front of the DPR," Minister Sri said.
After her comment, Prabowo thanked the media and politely dismissed them. He said, "Okay, thank you, media friends, good food and drink have been prepared. [We] politely ask you to leave."
In this meeting, Prabowo prioritized reports from coordinating ministers, particularly those leading sectors such as food, energy, poverty and hunger eradication, human resource development, health, and housing.
Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya confirmed that several ministers were scheduled to present, including the Investment Minister, Agriculture Minister, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, Head of the National Nutrition Board, Social Minister, Food Minister, Education and Culture Minister, and Higher Education Minister.
In his preceding speech, Prabowo stated that the government was navigating economic actors who sought to maximize their own profits. He expressed concern over economic players who enrich themselves at the expense of the people, despite the government's good intentions to provide opportunities for them.
Prabowo, the former defense minister, also emphasized the significance of food security, stating that a nation cannot be truly independent if it isn't self-sufficient in food. He asserted that a nation cannot be independent if it is not self-sufficient in food.
He also suspected that other nations might try to undermine Indonesia through food-related attacks due to Indonesia's choice to produce its own food.
Nevertheless, Prabowo expressed confidence in the government's ability to overcome these challenges. Aided by the transition process from former President Jokowi, Prabowo claimed that Indonesia's food production was in a secure and robust state.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2036739/prabowo-asks-journalists-to-leave-during-cabinet-meetin