President Prabowo inaugurates 1,204 civil servants in 33rd IPDN graduation ceremony

President Prabowo inaugurates 1,204 young civil servants from IPDN

President Prabowo Subianto officially inaugurated 1,204 young civil servants graduating from the State Institute of Public Administration (IPDN) in Jatinangor, Sumedang, West Java, on Wednesday, marking the 33rd graduation ceremony from the institution that has trained Indonesia's civil service leadership since 1956.

Speaking at the ceremony attended by senior government officials including Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Foreign Minister Sugiono, and Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin, the president emphasized the profound responsibility these new officials carry.

"Today, you have chosen a noble path—one dedicated to serving the people, the nation, and Indonesia," President Prabowo stated in remarks broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat.

The president cautioned that public service demands sacrifice and perseverance, warning the graduates that their chosen path would be filled with obstacles and hardship. He stressed that the true measure of a state official lies not in rank or position, but in delivering tangible benefits that citizens can directly experience.

Field-tested through disaster response

Before their formal inauguration, the IPDN graduates spent a month in the field assisting with disaster relief operations in Aceh following catastrophic floods and landslides that struck Sumatra in late 2025. The disaster, which began in late November, claimed at least 1,140 lives and left 163 people missing across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra provinces, according to humanitarian reports. Over 399,000 people were displaced, with more than 156,500 houses damaged in what became a massive humanitarian crisis.

President Prabowo himself visited the disaster-affected areas on December 1, 2025, demonstrating national leadership during the emergency response that the new civil servants supported.

Call for bureaucratic transformation

According to President Prabowo, the Indonesian public currently needs and demands a bureaucracy that operates with honesty and discipline, remains free from corruption, and demonstrates courage to make decisions on the ground.

"Our people do not need a complicated bureaucracy. Our people do not need leaders who do not do their absolute best," he emphasized.

The president's message reflects Indonesia's long-standing commitment to bureaucratic reform, which has been underway since 1999, with a comprehensive Grand Design for Bureaucratic Reform spanning 2010-2025 aimed at improving civil service competence, transparency, and accountability.

President Prabowo further described the young civil servants as primary drivers of government bureaucracy who will determine the success of national development programs in the future. The graduates, who studied a comprehensive curriculum covering political science, public administration, law, economics, and international relations at the Ministry of Home Affairs institution, will be directly placed into government positions ranging from central ministries to villages and sub-districts across Indonesia.

In carrying out their duties, the new officials were urged to strengthen synergy and collaboration with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), the Prosecutors' Office, and all elements of society in their respective duty areas.