By: Citra Indriani Putri
President Prabowo Subianto opened the 2026 National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) of the Central and Regional Governments with a clear and firm leadership message oriented toward the strategic interests of the nation.
Held at the Sentul International Convention Center, Bogor, the forum was not merely an annual bureaucratic agenda but a space to consolidate the direction of national leadership amid increasingly turbulent global conditions and domestic challenges that demand decisive state action.
The President’s briefing positioned central-regional synergy as the foundation of governance. Policy alignment is understood not as an administrative formality but as a real necessity to ensure that national priority programs function effectively on the ground. The President emphasized that successful development does not arise from fragmented policies but from unified action, disciplined execution, and full political commitment down to the regional level.
This leadership direction became even clearer when the President reminded regional leaders to understand global geopolitical dynamics. In the President’s view, the world is not moving toward an ideal situation but is caught in tensions that could potentially escalate into major conflicts. He stressed that since Indonesia’s founding, the nation has always lived amid global rivalries, from ideological wars to open conflicts, the impacts of which extend even to countries not directly involved.
In this context, the President reiterated Indonesia’s commitment to an independent and active foreign policy and the principle of non-alignment. Indonesia chooses friendship with all countries without binding itself to any military pact.
However, this choice carries strategic consequences: Indonesia must stand on its own strength. The President emphasized that in the worst-case scenario, no other country will come to Indonesia’s rescue. This awareness underpins the need to build national resilience in food security, energy, and defense seriously and sustainably.
The briefing did not stop at geopolitical issues. National leadership focus is also directed toward the welfare of the people as the ultimate goal of development. The President stressed that economic growth is meaningless if it is not accompanied by improvements in people’s quality of life. Poverty reduction, improved nutrition, and job creation are concrete measures of the state’s success in fulfilling its constitutional mandate.
The Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Program received special emphasis as an example of a policy with both social and economic impact. The program stimulates village-level economic activity, strengthens local food supply chains, and serves as a long-term investment in human capital. The President noted that the program’s success demonstrates that people-centered policies can respond to criticism with tangible results and even attract international attention.
In addition to MBG, the President highlighted energy independence and environmental agendas. Downstream processing of palm oil, banning the export of used cooking oil, and converting waste into energy illustrate policy directions that prioritize national resources for the benefit of the people. At the same time, the President did not hesitate to admonish regions that neglect environmental quality, particularly when waste issues begin to damage the country’s tourism image. Instructions to accelerate waste-to-energy initiatives underscore that sustainable development is not a slogan but a necessity.
The President’s leadership dimension is also reflected in his emphasis on integrity and ethical governance. He urged all regional heads and government elites to avoid personal interests. In his view, power should be understood as a mandate to serve, not a means of personal enrichment. This message is crucial amid public demand for a clean and accountable government.
Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian sees Rakornas 2026 as a means to accelerate development in the second year of the RPJMN 2025–2029, emphasizing the importance of aligning central and regional government actions to transform initial achievements into significant development leaps.
Meanwhile, Minister of State Secretariat Prasetyo Hadi emphasized Rakornas as a forum to evaluate government performance, where the President highlighted strengthening successful programs, improving agendas that have not yet been achieved, and reaffirming commitment to clean and corruption-free governance.
Overall, President Prabowo’s briefing at Rakornas 2026 reflects a vision of national leadership that is sovereign, realistic, and results-oriented. Such leadership does not rely on hollow optimism but on an accurate reading of harsh global realities and urgent domestic needs.
Central-regional synergy is positioned as an absolute prerequisite to ensure national policies do not remain mere planning documents but transform into concrete actions directly felt by the public. Global vigilance forms the strategic basis to prevent Indonesia from being drawn into major power conflicts while maintaining national political and economic maneuverability.
At the same time, public welfare is affirmed as the ultimate goal of all development agendas, through strengthening food and energy security, improving environmental quality, and enhancing the lives of the grassroots population.
In this context, Rakornas serves not only as a coordination forum but also as a consolidation point for national leadership, uniting vision, execution discipline, and moral responsibility to guide Indonesia toward the grand vision of Golden Indonesia 2045.
Political Strategy Consultant – National Politika Association