Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has drawn criticism for his populist communication style marked by controversial comments and off-script remarks. At a political party event in Jakarta last month, Prabowo joked about his prepared speech, saying, "It could put me to sleep," and acknowledged that his advisors often remind him not to go off script or use "wrong words." Moments later, he was improvising again.

Prabowo has used the term "londo ireng," a Javanese phrase historically referring to Indigenous Indonesians accused of collaborating with Dutch colonial forces during Indonesia's struggle for independence. He claimed these "londo ireng still exist today," adding they could be found among "journalists, reporters, analysts and NGOs."

In recent months, Prabowo has made headlines for telling people who found rice expensive to "help grow it," dismissing expert critics with the term "ndasmu" (akin to "whatever"), and downplaying the rupiah's weakness against the US dollar by saying "people in villages don't use it."

A live stream of Prabowo speaking to business leaders was reportedly cut off and journalists ejected after he stated, "it is being said that Iran already has nuclear weapons," warning this could lead to further proliferation in the region.

Ambang Priyonggo, a media and politics academic at Multimedia Nusantara University, said Prabowo's communication style has undergone a "quite significant transformation" since the start of his political career.

Speaking to media in Jakarta on July 13, Prabowo attributed market movements more to economic conditions and global uncertainty, including US tariffs and conflict in the Middle East.

Kam Fong Chan, an associate professor of finance at the University of Western Australia, noted that the economic impact of a leader's speech depends on whether markets react to the speaking style or the policy signals conveyed.

An Indonesian government official affirmed Prabowo Subianto's commitment to his role despite the controversies.

Sources