TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential hopeful from Indonesia`s opposition party Prabowo Subianto attended the Indonesia Economic Forum (IEF) held at Shangrilla Hotel today, November 21.

Prabowo was invited as a guest speaker at the event where he eventually talked about the country’s economy. In his speech entitled ‘the path ahead for Indonesia’, he likened a nation’s economy to a human body that also needs thorough attempts to maintain its health.

“If a body’s biological system fails to function, it needs to be checked up to know the cause. The same principle is shared in the context of a country’s economy,” said Prabowo in his speech.

The former Kopassus commander elaborated that Indonesia's Human Development Index (HDI) is still below Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Other than that, Prabowo also mentioned Indonesia’s rank in The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), especially in math and science.

Prabowo then explained that Indonesia’s high GDP does not reflect a good economy and that many people still misconceive gross domestic product as indicators of a country’s economic success. He said that GDP is derived from domestic Indonesian production, and does not specify whether it is produced exclusively by Indonesians in the country.

“This is a worrying situation, these conditions provide a picture of a human body that lacks nutrition consumption,” said Prabowo Subianto.

DIAS PRASONGKO