Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto greeting the crowd on Dec 2, 2023 during a meeting with religious and community figures at the Primajasa bus terminal in Tasikmalaya, West Java. - Antara
JAKARTA: Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto said he hoped that Indonesia could become a reliable car producer during a speech to 2,000 preachers in Lebak, Banten, on Sunday (Dec 3)
“We will have our own cars made in Indonesia. I was instructed by [President] Jokowi, we have started, we have manufactured our own Indonesian-made jeep,” Prabowo said, as quoted by Antara news agency on Monday.
Prabowo said the initial success in pioneering the production of an Indonesian-made jeep was the stepping stone to further developing the automotive industry in Indonesia. He claimed that the vehicle, named the Maung, was 73 per cent comprised of local components.
According to Prabowo, given that over 70 per cent of the materials were produced locally, the vehicle can already be considered Indonesian-made.
Prabowo was upbeat that in the next two to three years, 90 per cent of the vehicle components would be locally produced.
The Maung is a 4x4 tactical vehicle produced by state-owned arms company PT Pindad. It uses a four-cylinder diesel engine, which produces 136 horsepower. The vehicle is available for military purposes and civilian use.
Pindad says it is developing the Maung EV, an electric-powered variant. Prabowo also hoped that Indonesia would someday produce other vehicles and products in the future, including sedans, pickups, trucks, motorcycles, TVs, airplanes, trains and ships.
In his speech, the presidential candidate referred to his commitment to creating more job opportunities to advance the nation.
“We must create massive job opportunities and schools to educate the next generations,” Prabowo said. Prabowo also emphasised his other commitment to make Indonesia a developed industrial country because the country had abundant natural resources, such as coal, nickel and palm oil. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
