TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – President of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) Said Iqbal said the labor organization has long supported President Prabowo Subianto, dating back to the 2014 presidential election.
"Since 2014, even before Gerindra announced his candidacy, we declared our support for Prabowo at Gelora Bung Karno. We invited Prabowo, and we stood with Prabowo," Said said during KSPI's National Working Meeting (Rakernas) at Hotel Acacia, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, as monitored through KSPI's YouTube channel.
He said KSPI's support for Prabowo continued during the 2019 presidential election and was strengthened ahead of the 2024 election. "In 2024, we strengthened our support in East Java to work together with Prabowo," said Said, who also serves as the President's Special Advisor for Manpower and Workers' Welfare.
Said said KSPI's support for Prabowo was based on what he described as the president's commitment to welfare-oriented policies. He said Prabowo had introduced the idea that the state budget should not only focus on economic growth but also promote wealth distribution.
According to Said, the concept aligns with the principles of a welfare state, including equality and equal opportunities, which he said were also advocated by Indonesia's founding figures such as Soekarno, Mohammad Hatta, and Tan Malaka.
Prabowo appointed Said Iqbal as Special Advisor to the President for Manpower and Workers' Welfare on June 8, 2026. Following his inauguration at the State Palace in Jakarta, Said said he planned to regularly report workers' issues and provide policy recommendations to the president.
"There are several matters that I may report directly to the President through coordination with the State Secretary," Said said.
One of the issues he plans to discuss is the government's target of achieving 8 percent economic growth. Said emphasized that economic expansion should be accompanied by fair wealth distribution and broader access to opportunities.
"In our perspective, this growth must be balanced with fair wealth distribution, equal opportunities, and everyone should have a chance. In simple terms, you can be rich, but don't impoverish us," he said.
Regarding workers' welfare, Said said future policies should include job security, income stability, and social protection. He added that these perspectives would be submitted to the president as input for policy considerations.
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