President Prabowo Subianto opened the 16th National Congress of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Federation (IPSI) in Jakarta on April 11, 2026, urging Indonesians to take pride in their culture while emphasizing Indonesia's leadership in training pencak silat athletes from Thailand and Vietnam.
President Prabowo Subianto opened the 16th National Congress of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Federation (IPSI) in Jakarta on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
In his address, Prabowo highlighted Indonesia's pivotal role as the primary trainer for pencak silat athletes from Thailand and Vietnam. "We used to train Vietnam and Thailand. In the end, they became great and they have beaten us," he said, viewing their success as proof of Indonesia's effective training methods.
He stressed the importance of preserving the purity of pencak silat knowledge to maintain its appeal. "If the knowledge is pure, it's strong, people from everywhere will come to learn. And it's proven, many countries come to us to learn," Prabowo added. He expressed pride in Indonesian athletes' achievements, such as topping the pencak silat standings at the 35th SEA Games in Thailand late last year with four gold medals, one silver, and seven bronzes.
Prabowo also called on Indonesians to respect their own culture, stating, "A great nation is one that respects its own culture. A great nation respects its parents and ancestors." He noted that advanced nations reflect respect for their heritage and lamented how Indonesia's educated elite once admired foreign things, fostering an inferiority complex.
"We are proud to wear teluk belanga. We are proud to wear kopiah. We are proud to wear sarung. We are proud to wear songket. This is our culture," he declared, emphasizing pride in Indonesia's unique heritage like these traditional items while respecting other cultures without forgetting national identity. "We are proud of our own culture. We respect all countries, but we must not forget our own nation," Prabowo concluded.
