Prabowo: Democracy Is Hard, but Still the Best System

JAKARTA — President Prabowo Subianto said democracy is not an easy system to run, but it is the best system available. He made the remarks while speaking before the Indian diaspora, emphasizing his commitment to democratic values in governing.

In the forum, Prabowo stressed that although democracy is full of challenges and complexity, it remains the wisest choice for building a prosperous and just nation. His message resonated with the experience of the two major nations in South Asia and Southeast Asia in preserving democratic systems amid various obstacles.

Democracy as a Strategic Choice

Prabowo acknowledged that the democratic journey is full of hurdles. Coordination between institutions, complete check-and-balance mechanisms, and public participation require enormous energy. Still, he argued that the values democracy offers — justice, transparency, and people’s representation — make it the most relevant system for the future.

This emphasis is important given the current global context. Around the world, democratic systems face pressure from authoritarianism, polarization, and disinformation. Indonesia, as the world’s third-largest democracy, is in a strategic position to become a model for other developing countries, including India.

Relevance for the Diaspora and Bilateral Ties

The choice of an Indian diaspora forum as the venue for delivering this message was no coincidence. India and Indonesia are both large multicultural democracies with diverse populations of religions, languages, and ethnicities. The two countries have proven that democratic systems can work in an extreme pluralistic context.

For the diaspora, Prabowo’s message resonates with their own experience. Many Indians living in Indonesia or other countries value freedom of expression, voting rights, and minority protections guaranteed by democratic systems. By emphasizing democracy’s strengths, Prabowo implicitly invited a deeper dialogue about shared values and bilateral cooperation.

Practical Challenges of Democracy

Although noble, the implementation of democracy in practice faces serious obstacles. Slow legislative processes, rigid bureaucracy, and sometimes administrative inefficiency are frequent criticisms. Prabowo appeared to acknowledge this reality — democracy is indeed not a “easy” system in the sense of quickly producing decisions or operational efficiency.

But that difficulty is the price of freedom and fairness. ავტocratic systems may be faster in execution, but they sacrifice the people’s voice and accountability. Prabowo seemed to accept this trade-off: slower, but fairer and more legitimate.

Implications for Indonesia’s Future

Prabowo’s statement is an important signal about the direction of his administration. In an era when some countries tend to take authoritarian shortcuts to achieve rapid development, Prabowo explicitly chose to remain committed to the democratic path. This suggests that the reforms and development carried out by his administration will continue to respect democratic mechanisms, even if the process takes longer.

The real challenge, of course, is balancing commitment to democracy with urgent economic and infrastructure development needs. Indonesians, especially those still feeling economic inequality, want tangible results — better jobs, education, health care, and connectivity. The democratic system must be able to deliver those results without compromising core values.

A Message for Global Indonesia

In the context of an increasingly polarized global geopolitics, Indonesia’s voice as a major democracy matters. Speaking before the Indian diaspora, Prabowo also subtly conveyed that democracy remains a relevant and worth-preserving ideology in the 21st century. This stands in contrast to the narrative that democracy is in crisis or lagging behind other systems.

Indonesia’s diaspora in various countries, as well as the Indian diaspora and diasporas from other democratic countries, are important ambassadors of this system. They live under Indonesian democracy while experiencing pluralism, freedom of expression, and political participation — values that are worth safeguarding.

A Steep Road Ahead

Although the commitment to democracy is clear, Prabowo and his team face the reality that the public also needs tangible results. Unemployment remains high. Infrastructure still needs improvement. Corruption remains a threat. The democratic system will only endure if it can address these social and economic problems fairly and transparently.

The message that democracy is best even if it is not easy must be translated into concrete policies that serve the people. Effectiveness is key to maintaining public trust in the system. In the coming months, the focus will be on how Prabowo’s administration can prove that democracy is not only a noble set of values, but also an instrument for sustainable development and inclusion.