Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto admitted to receiving numerous complaints from various international figures regarding the deteriorating cleanliness of Bali's beaches.
This statement was delivered before thousands of regional leaders participating in the National Coordination Meeting between the Central and Regional Governments in Sentul, Bogor Regency, on Monday, February 2, 2026.
Prabowo mentioned that during almost every official visit abroad, state figures, ministers, and generals from those countries raised the same issue. "They said, 'Your Excellency, I just came from Bali; oh, Bali is so dirty now, Bali is not nice,'" Prabowo recounted.
The Gerindra Party chief patron acknowledged that one of the most significant hurdles in Indonesia's tourism sector is the abundance of waste. While delivering his presentation, Prabowo displayed photos of scattered trash in both Bali and Ciputat.
Prabowo reminded regional leaders that such filthy conditions make tourists reluctant to return to Indonesia. "I apologize, governors and regents from Bali, but this is the reality of Bali in December 2025; how can tourists be expected to come there?" he asked.
"High school, junior high school, and elementary school students are under your authority; what is so difficult about gathering all students at the beach on either a Friday or Saturday?" Prabowo asked. "This is our beach, this is our yard – let's clean it together; what's wrong with that?"
Furthermore, he plans to mobilize all state elements to address the widespread waste problem, particularly in tourist areas. Prabowo emphasized that if regional leaders are unable to mobilize their citizens, he will task the TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces) and Polri (National Police) to lead these cleanup activities, also known as corvee.
"If the regents and governors cannot comply with my orders, then I order the district and regional military commanders, as well as the police, to mobilize your subordinates every day, or every few days, for corvee, corvee, corvee," he stated.
Prabowo announced that he has designed a cleanup initiative called the ASRI Indonesia Movement, which stands for Safe, Healthy, Clean, and Beautiful. In the future, all leaders within ministries, agencies, State-Owned Enterprises, and regional governments must conduct waste collection operations for at least half an hour before working hours.
He stated that this policy will serve as a specialized program within his administration. He even expressed that he is not hesitant to allocate funds for the procurement of trash trucks or carts.
"We have to declare war on waste," Prabowo declared. "This is for our people – waste is a disaster, waste is a disease; we will act, and we will support."
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2084507/prabowo-claims-foreign-leaders-complain-about-dirty-bal