TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto has hit back at critics accusing the Indonesian government of misleading the public. He countered the allegations by asserting that leaders who lie to their citizens commit a sin.
The Gerindra Party chairperson shared these reflections during his address at the launch of the B50 biodiesel program in Karawang, West Java. He began by declaring that his administration had successfully achieved food self-sufficiency within just one year.
Prabowo noted that people had downplayed this milestone. "There are even many people who consider themselves smart who are mocking, obstructing, and accusing us, the government, of lying to the public that we have not achieved food self-sufficiency," he said on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
The former defense minister then dismissed those accusations. "It is a sin for the government to lie to its people, it is a sin for leaders to lie to their people, and it is treasonous for leaders to betray the interests of the nation above all else," he added.
During the same event, Prabowo officially rolled out the mandatory B50 biodiesel program. The B50 scheme mandates a 50 percent blend of palm-oil-based biodiesel into all diesel fuel sold across Indonesia.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia noted that the policy would significantly curb Indonesia's reliance on foreign diesel. "With the implementation of B50, thank God, we will no longer import diesel products into our country," Bahlil said during the B50 launch alongside President Prabowo in Karawang, West Java, on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
According to Bahlil, Indonesia’s national diesel consumption averages between 38 and 40 million kiloliters annually. To fulfill this demand, the country has relied on importing roughly 3 to 4 million kiloliters of diesel per year.
Ervana Trikarinaputri contributed to this article
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