Yudhoyono endorses Prabowo's development blueprint as Indonesia targets 6% growth

Former President voices optimism over Prabowo's 2026 state address

Indonesia's sixth president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has voiced strong support for the national development direction outlined by President Prabowo Subianto in his State of the Nation Address on August 14, saying the government's blueprint offers renewed hope for the country's future.

Yudhoyono, who served two five-year terms from October 2004 to October 2014 as Indonesia's first directly elected president in the democratic era, shared his assessment in a video recorded in Rochester, United States, and posted via the Instagram account @aniyudhoyono on Sunday.

Speaking of 2027, and marking the start of the 2027 state budget, I see that the blueprint and development agenda the government will carry out next year is getting better, clearer, and offers new hope for all of us.

The former president followed Prabowo's second State of the Nation Address since taking office with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka in October 2024, delivered at the People's Consultative Assembly Annual Session and Joint Session of the House of Representatives and Regional Representative Council. He also consulted colleagues in Indonesia about the speech's substance.

Economic Growth Target Deemed Realistic

Yudhoyono described the government's 6 percent economic growth target for 2027 as ambitious yet attainable, drawing on his own administration's track record during what the World Economic Forum termed "Indonesia's golden decade" of democratic development, political stability, and sustained high economic growth.

I know the challenges facing our nation remain quite strong, both domestic and internal factors. But what the government has conceived and planned is, in my view, appropriate.

The growth target comes as Indonesia's economy demonstrated strong momentum in early 2026, with first-quarter growth reaching 5.61 percent year-on-year, the fastest quarterly expansion since the third quarter of 2022. Second-quarter growth stood at 5.29 percent, bringing the first-half average to 5.45 percent.

These figures surpass Indonesia's decade-long average of 4.3 percent growth through 2024, which trailed the 4.9 percent ASEAN regional average. Major international institutions including the OECD, IMF, and World Bank have projected Indonesia's 2026 growth between 5.0 and 5.1 percent, making the government's 6 percent target notably more ambitious than external forecasts.

Development Priorities Highlighted

Yudhoyono praised several key agenda items presented by the Prabowo-Gibran administration, including maintaining economic growth, reducing unemployment and poverty, improving health and education services, and advancing infrastructure development.

In my view, this is a very important agenda.

He noted that sustained economic expansion directly impacts gross domestic product and per capita income. Indonesia's GDP per capita stood at 4,925 US dollars in 2024, with projections pointing toward approximately 4,595 dollars by the end of 2026.

The former president added that if the government achieves its 6 percent growth target, "it will have a good impact on our people."

Yudhoyono's endorsement carries particular weight given the shared military backgrounds of both leaders. Prabowo became Indonesia's third president with military experience, following Suharto and Yudhoyono himself, continuing a pattern in Indonesian leadership.

The State of the Nation Address marked the formal start of discussions on the 2027 state budget, as the administration moves into its second full year of governance.