Prabowo Warns Theft, Smuggling Threaten Indonesia's Sovereignty
Speaking to soldiers and officers at the Cilangkap headquarters in East Jakarta on the 81st anniversary of the Indonesian military, Prabowo, himself a former general, said: “Natural resource theft and smuggling are a threat to our sovereignty. Narcotics smuggling threatens our survival.”
Threats beyond the battlefield
Prabowo said threats are “no longer limited to physical attacks,” Jakarta Globe reported, and warned that Indonesia is also “under attack” from rampant misinformation aimed at “harming the economy.”
He urged the armed forces to keep pace with the changes. “Our armed forces must continue to adapt (to these changes). Learn, learn, and learn. Practice, practice, and practice. We must make use of this peacetime to prepare against threats, even the worst ones,” he told the troops.
His remarks come as Indonesia's Defense Ministry weighs spending $10.4 billion this year, mostly on military modernization.
A message on peace
Prabowo said Indonesia “love(s) peace.”
“We respect all countries and powers. We don't want to be disturbed. We want to protect our people, land, and wealth to make our citizens prosper,” he said.
Economic backdrop
Prabowo, a former defense minister, has been “seeking tighter control of the country’s economy following reports that mineral-rich Indonesia had lost a total of $908 billion from decades of fraudulent trade practices,” according to the report.
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