TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto responded to the public's reaction following his recent controversial speech where he said that Indonesia would no longer exist by 2030.

“There is a paper about that issue, there are many discussions about things like that on the global stage,” said Prabowo Subianto to a group of journalists in Jakarta on Thursday, March 22.

Prabowo made it clear that there are scenarios upon writings that may come in the form of a novel but is written by strategic intelligence experts.

“You go ahead and read it first, you haven’t, have you?” asked Prabowo to the journalists there.

Read: Prabowo Quotes Fiction Book Content in His Speech

According to Prabowo, the reason he mentioned it was to remind everyone to never put their guard down on issues that are present in the nation. He argues that many countries envy Indonesia’s natural wealth since its inception and that Indonesia's natural wealth has been robbed for hundreds of years.

“You studied history, didn’t you? You know your history? You know that we were colonized by the Dutch? You know many have died because of that? They came here because of our rich natural resources. Even after the independence, [some] want to continue to divide us, it has always been that way,” said Prabowo.

He further said that Indonesia must always be aware of impending threats and should not be too naïve to see that many are envious of the country’s natural resources.

The Gerindra chairman views this as a phenomenon and has no problem if the Indonesian public believes him or not. “It is my duty as an Indonesian, I must tell it as it is when I see a threat,” said Prabowo Subianto.

Antara