"A country must be able to feed its own people," Prabowo stressed during his speech for the Indonesia-Brazil Business Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday (November 17), which was followed online from his secretariat's YouTube channel in Jakarta on Monday.
Prabowo highlighted that the growth rate is not the sole indicator of a country's success, considering that a nation's capabilities of fulfilling the needs of its people and ensuring their prosperity are equally fundamental.
On that note, the president observed that a high economic growth rate would be a mere trivial achievement to a country that is unable to translate such a feat into concrete benefits for its citizens.
"That is the recipe for a failed state," he remarked.
Prabowo then underscored that his administration has resolved to pursue successful implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals program, which is mostly targeted at schoolchildren, in a bid to fight poverty and hunger.
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He affirmed that as a part of the G20, it is only natural for Indonesia, a country whose economic growth rate hovers above five percent, to invest all-out efforts to provide sufficient food for its people, especially children.
To that end, the head of state expressed his keenness to take a cue from Brazil, which has successfully carried out a similar program for schoolchildren.
He also spoke of having instructed his team to coordinate with the Brazilian ambassador to Indonesia to arrange a visit of an Indonesian delegation to Brazil to take notes from the South American country's similar program.
Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono, Secretary of Cabinet Teddy Indra Wijaya, Finance Deputy Minister Thomas Djiwandono, and Indonesian Ambassador to Brazil Edi Yusup accompanied President Prabowo to the forum.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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