President Prabowo urges TNI troops to shoulder citizens' hardships

At the 81st anniversary ceremony of the Indonesian National Armed Forces in Jakarta, President Prabowo Subianto called on soldiers to keep close ties with the populace and address their hardships. He reminded the audience that the military has historically fought alongside civilians to defend Indonesia's independence, and therefore must continue to be a "people's army." Prabowo cited numerous disaster relief operations—floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and forest fires—where TNI units acted proactively, often without waiting for orders.

He praised commanders for taking initiative in evacuations, clearing blocked roads, constructing bridges and delivering food and medicine to isolated communities. The president expressed gratitude to soldiers who risk their lives in such missions and urged them to maintain this proximity as a core strength of the armed forces.