Jakarta (ANTARA) - Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has stated that Indonesian leaders must remind each other to strengthen unity and and stressed that they should refrain from using differences as a tool to divide people.
"That's the key. Let's be grateful and proud that we are Indonesians. Differences should not be used as a reason to divide, to be suspicious of others, to think negatively, and so on," Subianto said in a written statement released here on Sunday.
The minister mentioned during a halal bihalal event at the Istiqlal Mosque on Saturday (May 13) that Indonesian leaders must be willing to collaborate to effectively govern the nation.
Halal bihalal is an Indonesian tradition of asking for forgiveness and reconciliation after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. This would enable the country's assets and wealth to bring prosperity to the entire population, rather than just a select few, he said.
Furthermore, the leaders must be willing to remind and educate each other about what is right, so that the country's wealth can be managed and shared among everyone within a specific timeframe, he added.
"The wealth is there; now the question is whether we can manage and maintain it. This is our duty, our calling, our challenge. We must collaborate and work hard together," Minister Subianto remarked.
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Currently, the government has embraced the spirit of togetherness in the management and maintenance of Indonesia's natural resources, aiming to ensure the prosperity of its citizens, he pointed out. He highlighted that President Joko Widodo's government has imposed a ban on the export of raw or unprocessed mining products.
By domestically processing mining products, there can be a 20-fold or 30-fold increase in added value, he said. This would stimulate the creation of new jobs, enabling Indonesians to live happily in prosperity, the minister stated.
