During his address to the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto showed what true statesmanship looks like. He began by evoking the U.S. Declaration of Independence, noting how its principles laid the basis for many other national and international bodies:
“It is indeed a great honor to stand in this august General Assembly Hall, among leaders who represent almost all of humanity. We differ in race, religion, and nationality, yet we gather together as one human family. We are here first and foremost as fellow human beings—each created equal, endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The words of the U.S. Declaration of Independence have inspired democratic movements across continents—including the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, and Indonesia’s own journey to freedom. It also gave birth to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948. ‘All men are created equal’ was the creed that opened the way to unprecedented global prosperity and dignity.”
Subianto mentioned Indonesia’s fight for independence from colonialism, which itself was shown solidarity when the UN Security Council and General Assembly voted in September 1950 to recognize it as a nation. He described current conditions in the world, saying that fear, racism, and hatred are still oppressing people around the world. Additionally, there is rampant conflict, injustice, and “a blatant disregard for international law and human decency.” Subianto remarked: “In the face of these challenges,we must not give up. We cannot surrender our hopes or our ideals. We must draw closer, not drift further apart.”
He made a strong defense of the United Nations, which exists to reject the doctrine that “The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.” In this context, Subianto brought up the plight of Palestine, polemicizing against the use of violence as a means for successful resolution of conflict. He noted that Indonesia was prepared to send 20,000 or more peacekeeping troops to Palestine as part of a multilateral force, “so that the two‑state solution, so that peace in both Palestine and Israel, can become real, not just envisioned.”
President Subianto concluded by saying: “I am convinced that the leaders of the great world civilizations: Civilizations of the West, civilizations of the East, of American civilization, of European civilization, of Indian civilization, of Persian civilization, of Chinese civilization, of Islamic civilization, will rise to their role demanded by history. We are all hopeful that the leaders of the world will show great statesmanship, great wisdom, restraint, and humility in their leadership of the world....
“Let us continue humanity’s journey of hope—a journey started by our forefathers. A journey we must complete.”
