Jakarta, IO – Presidential candidate for the Onward Indonesia Coalition, Prabowo Subianto, emphasized the importance of maintaining peace through a good neighbors policy which he summed up as in the philosophy “a thousand friends too few, one enemy is too many.”
He conveyed this during a talk held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, Monday (13/11).
“We are in the middle of a very important trade route, a strategic waterway, with the second or third longest coastline in the world,” he said. “We depend on trade, therefore it is in our interests to have a tradition called a good neighbor policy. We want to maintain a good neighbor policy in our region and also in the world.”
Prabowo also stated that Indonesia always respects great powers such as the United States and China. He also appreciated that the roles the two countries play in Indonesia’s economic development.
In implementing the good neighbors policy, Prabowo emphasized the importance of building good relationships and avoiding hostility.
“We need peace and stability so that our economy can develop and bring prosperity to the people,” he noted.
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While Prabowo realizes that this is easier said than done, he remains optimistic that he can continue to establish and maintain good relations with all parties.
“Even though they don’t want to be friends with me, I still want to be friends with them. I learned it the hard way,” he quipped, adding that the philosophy also applies to his approach on domestic politics.