Adapting Prabowo Subianto’s Nationalist Thought to Rebuild Indonesia’s Civil Aviation Sector

“Jika kekayaan kita terus menerus dibiarkan mengalir ke luar negeri, kita akan terus miskin, lemah dan tidak menjadi negara yang berwibawa.”
— Prabowo Subianto, Kembalikan Indonesia: Haluan Baru Keluar dari Kemelut Bangsa (2004)

Introduction

Indonesia, an archipelagic nation with over 17,000 islands, relies heavily on air travel for connectivity. Civil aviation is more than just a sector; it is the fabric that unites the country. However, the national aviation industry continues to face systemic issues: dependence on foreign carriers, uneven connectivity, limited domestic aerospace capacity, unsustainable pricing, and poor policy coordination. In this context, it is worth revisiting the early political ideas of Prabowo Subianto, outlined in his influential 2004 book, Kembalikan Indonesia: Haluan Baru Keluar dari Kemelut Bangsa (“Restore Indonesia: A New Path Out of National Crisis”). Although written over twenty years ago, the book’s core nationalist economic principles—focused on sovereignty, justice, and state responsibility—provide a useful perspective for rethinking civil aviation development in Indonesia today. This article discusses the main ideas of the book and applies these concepts to national civil aviation policy. The goal is not to politicize aviation but to illustrate how political-economic frameworks can guide strategic industry decisions and transformation.

Revisiting the Core Ideas of Kembalikan Indonesia

Prabowo’s 2004 book emerged from frustration with Indonesia’s post-crisis economic dependency and political fragmentation. He argued that the country had lost its sense of direction and agency. His main points, summarized simply, are as follows:

1. Reinforce National Sovereignty: Economic and political sovereignty must be central to policy. Indonesia must control its destiny, including in strategic industries.
2. State Intervention Is Justified in Strategic Sectors: The state should not avoid strong leadership and guidance, especially where market forces fail or lead to exploitation.
3. Structural Economic Reform Is Needed to Reduce Inequality: The nation’s natural and strategic resources should benefit the people broadly, not just a few elites or foreign interests.
4. Justice-Oriented Economic Policy: Development should promote national unity and equal access, especially for marginalized regions and communities.

These ideas, rooted in a critique of global neoliberalism and the Indonesian elite’s complicity in economic dependency, are not radical by themselves. They align with economic nationalism and strategic development thinking common in many postcolonial nations.

Applying the Ideas to Civil Aviation

So, how might these nationalist economic principles be applied to Indonesia’s civil aviation sector?

1. Reclaiming Sovereignty in the Skies

Prabowo’s emphasis on national sovereignty serves as a timely reminder that airspace is not only an economic domain but also a matter of national security and pride. However, today, large parts of Indonesia’s air traffic, including domestic routes, are dominated by foreign-built aircraft, foreign-financed leasing arrangements, and occasionally foreign-crew flights.

To reinforce sovereignty in civil aviation, Indonesia must:

• Reassert control over strategic air routes by enhancing the competitiveness of national carriers.
• Limit excessive foreign market penetration when it threatens the domestic industry.
• Strengthen air navigation sovereignty through ongoing investment in AirNav Indonesia and satellite infrastructure.

This approach does not propose autarky or anti-globalization but aims for a balance between openness and national interest. Foreign airlines are welcome, but not at the expense of weakening domestic capacity.

2. Building Strategic Domestic Capacity: Revitalizing PTDI

One of the clearest applications of Prabowo’s vision lies in the revival of PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI). Once a beacon of national pride under B.J. Habibie, the company has languished from a lack of coherent policy support, inconsistent investment, and limited integration into the national development strategy.

A Prabowo-style nationalist industrial policy would call for:

• A 10- to 20-year roadmap to transform PTDI into a viable player in the regional aerospace industry.
• Partnerships with friendly nations that support technology transfer, not just market access.
• Strategic alignment of PTDI’s production with the needs of domestic air travel: small turboprops, surveillance aircraft, regional jets.

Rather than buying exclusively from Boeing or Airbus, Indonesia could channel part of its procurement to strengthen its own aerospace base. This is exactly the kind of state intervention Prabowo advocates: a strong but disciplined role of the government in shaping industrial priorities.

3. Equity in Access: Bridging the 3T Regions

The book emphasizes “economic justice”—ensuring that development reaches all Indonesians, including those in marginal and remote areas. The aviation translation of this is straightforward: strengthen connectivity to 3T regions (terdepan, terpencil, tertinggal – frontier, remote, and disadvantaged).

Civil aviation policy should:

• Sustain and expand perintis (pioneer) routes through targeted subsidies.
• Encourage regional airlines to operate in underserved areas through regulatory incentives.
• Integrate aviation policy with infrastructure investment: airports, weather stations, radar coverage, and air safety enforcement.

In Prabowo’s vision, no region should feel abandoned. Aviation policy must be not only economically viable but also socially just.

4. Aviation for National Unity and Integration

Civil aviation is not just a market function—it is a nation-building tool. Prabowo’s book constantly returns to the theme of national cohesion: Indonesia’s future depends on unifying the diverse archipelago through common economic and political interests.

A nationalist approach to civil aviation would:

• Promote affordable air travel to encourage inter-island mobility and cultural exchange.
• Use aviation to support national events, pilgrimages, and crisis response (e.g., natural disasters).
• Create a shared sense of ownership over the national carrier, including options for public investment or profit-sharing.

The state must ensure that civil aviation promotes solidaritas kebangsaan—national solidarity—not just profit.

5. Rebalancing the Public-Private Equation

One criticism Prabowo makes of the Indonesian post-crisis economy is that it became too dependent on market forces, often favouring oligarchs. In aviation, this is visible in how a few conglomerates dominate both full-service and low-cost carriers. While private investment is vital, unchecked consolidation can undermine safety, pricing fairness, and employee welfare.

A balanced policy agenda should:

• Encourage fair competition through independent aviation regulatory reform.
• Prevent predatory pricing or monopolistic behaviour.
• Create space for cooperative or community-based airlines, especially in rural areas.

Following Prabowo’s principle, the state must ensure that no single corporate interest becomes “too big to challenge” in a sector as strategic as air transport.

Challenges in Implementation

Adapting Prabowo’s ideas to aviation is not without difficulty. Nationalist development strategies require:

• Strong institutional capacity to manage investments and partnerships.
• Political will to resist vested interests.
• Policy continuity across administrations.

Moreover, a purely statistical approach could backfire if not tempered with innovation, global engagement, and managerial professionalism. Prabowo himself, in later years, moderated his views to emphasize strategic openness, not blanket protectionism.

Hence, a pragmatic nationalism is needed: one that upholds sovereignty, justice, and public interest, without stifling innovation or alienating strategic partners.

Lessons for Future Policymakers

Indonesia stands at a civil aviation crossroads. The post-pandemic recovery is slow, infrastructure gaps remain, and domestic industry remains fragile. Revisiting Kembalikan Indonesia offers five key takeaways for aviation policymakers:

1. Policy must be anchored in national interest, not just short-term profitability.
2. Strategic industries deserve strategic planning, including aerospace and air transport.
3. Economic justice matters: No citizen or region should be excluded from the skies.
4. Public-private balance is key: neither full state control nor total deregulation is ideal.
5. Sovereignty is not outdated—it is the foundation for self-respect in global aviation.

Conclusion: Reclaiming the Skies, Reclaiming Indonesia

Prabowo Subianto’s Kembalikan Indonesia is not a technical aviation manual, nor does it offer detailed policy prescriptions. But it does provide a valuable philosophical framework—one that prioritizes sovereignty, social justice, and state responsibility. These principles are urgently needed in rebuilding Indonesia’s civil aviation sector into one that is not just functional but transformative.

To “reclaim the skies,” as it were, is to reclaim Indonesia’s dignity, capability, and unity—ideals that Prabowo passionately articulated in his book. With strategic thinking, bold leadership, and a grounded sense of nationalism, Indonesia can truly connect its people, project its values, and soar on its wings.