- Prabowo’s Davos 2026 speech drew praise from academics who said it combined diplomacy with a strategic development narrative and an offer of fairer global partnerships.
- Scholars highlighted his messaging on stability, peace, and multilateralism, alongside policy claims such as nutritious-meal distribution and school digitization.
- Several experts welcomed the vision but warned that credibility will depend on consistent execution, independent verification of claims, and long-term policy continuity.
The speech was seen as delivering not only a global diplomatic message, but also a strategic outline for Indonesia’s national development—while opening room for international cooperation that is fairer and more sustainable.
International relations academic at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta and Director of Geopolitics at the Great Institute, Teguh Santosa, described Prabowo’s Davos speech as an open proposal for global cooperation and partnerships.
He said Prabowo laid out fundamental challenges still facing Indonesia as legacies of the previous administration, while also presenting concrete steps his government has taken to respond to and address those problems.
“President Prabowo’s remarks sharpen the distinction between what he called greedynomics—an economy of greed that has caused damage across sectors—and what he framed as Prabowonomics, which so far has been relatively successful in reducing those damages,” Teguh said in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday.
He argued that Prabowo’s Davos remarks amounted to a development declaration that promises fair global cooperation and partnerships, adding that the speech should serve as a reference point for cross-sector policymaking.
“This speech deserves to function as a kind of playbook for all government institutions, from the central government to regional administrations, so that decision-makers move with the same spirit and keep development policies aligned with the President’s direction,” he said.
Meanwhile, communications professor at UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Betty Tresnawaty, highlighted Prabowo’s communication strategy, which she said was persuasive, well-structured, and effective for a global audience.
Betty noted that Prabowo combined concrete figures—such as the provision of 59.8 million servings of nutritious meals and the digitization of 288,000 schools—with an emotional narrative centered on people’s welfare. She said the message was reinforced by positioning Indonesia as a stable country amid global uncertainty.
“The use of populist rhetoric—such as the term ‘economy of greed’—packaged in diplomatic language shows smart code-switching. From a nation-branding perspective, framing peace as a prerequisite for prosperity is a strategic positioning move that strengthens Indonesia’s credibility on the international stage,” she said.
From the standpoint of national education, Betty said the ideas of a Sekolah Rakyat program and boarding schools for children from low-income families align with critical education theory aimed at breaking cycles of poverty. However, she cautioned that such policies would require strong oversight from academia and civil society.
“Digital infrastructure without improving teacher capacity will be counterproductive. Claims of success also need independent verification and assurances of continuity across leadership terms. The education system must be built on competency standards, not dependent on a single figure,” she said.
Similar appreciation came from Dian Masyita, dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business at Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII).
She pointed to Prabowo’s emphasis that peace, stability, and dialogue are essential prerequisites for development amid geopolitical fragmentation and global economic uncertainty.
“Without trust and cooperation among countries, economic growth and global welfare will not be sustainable. In his speech, Indonesia was positioned as a partner that upholds multilateralism, tolerance, and active contributions to global stability,” she said.
On the economy, Dian said the notion of Prabowonomics reflects a development strategy rooted in economic sovereignty, national resilience, and equitable growth.
She cited measures such as strengthening strategic industries, pro-people social programs like free nutritious meals, and the establishment of the Danantara sovereign wealth fund to attract long-term, sustainable investment.
However, she stressed that implementation must be consistent, measurable, and grounded in integrity so the Davos message does not remain rhetorical.
“If the Davos message is realized in tangible ways, Indonesia will not only be respected for its vision, but also recognized as an example of developing-country leadership that can turn global ideas into real impacts for its people,” she said.
In a similar vein, Donie Kadewandana, a lecturer at the Faculty of Communication Sciences at Pancasila University, described Prabowo’s speech as an attempt to bridge idealism with the realities of public policy.
He said the address pointed to a broad development paradigm built on political, economic, and legal stability. In his view, it avoided symbolic rhetoric and instead sought to show a causal link between human-capital investment—through nutrition, health, and education—and long-term economic competitiveness.
“The biggest challenge is consistency in implementation. But substantively, the speech offers a hopeful, visionary view that development is understood as a sustainable process, not a short-term project,” Donie said.
Overall, the academics said Prabowo’s Davos 2026 speech sent a strong signal that Indonesia aims to present itself as a global actor offering stability, fair cooperation, and a long-term development vision.
Indonesianpost.com | Antara