Prabowo Praises Gontor Leader for Minimizing "The Honorable" Greetings in Speech

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President Prabowo Subianto praised the leader of the Modern Islamic Boarding School Darussalam Gontor, KH Hasan Abdullah Sahal, for not frequently addressing guests with the phrase "the honorable" during his speech.

According to Prabowo, Hasan’s approach made the speech shorter and the event more efficient.

"Earlier, the leader of the Darussalam Gontor Islamic Boarding School, KH. Hasan Abdullah Sahal, delivered a very modern and efficient speech. He only used ‘the honorable’ once. The rest were addressed simply as honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen, attendees, which is very efficient," said Prabowo while attending the 100th Anniversary Thanksgiving Reception of the Modern Islamic Boarding School Darussalam Gontor in Ponorogo, East Java, Saturday (19/9/2026).

Prabowo hopes other institutions and events can adopt a similar approach to avoid wasting time on lengthy formal greetings to guests.

"Actually, I hope all institutions, all events would be like Mr. Kiai Haji earlier. The problem is that saying ‘the honorable’ over and over takes a lot of time," Prabowo explained.

However, Prabowo admitted he cannot do the same when giving a speech as President of the Republic of Indonesia.

He said that being President is not only a state position but also a political one.

Therefore, he must consider the feelings of the prominent figures attending the event.

"But earlier, the leader of Darussalam Gontor Islamic Boarding School KH. Hasan Abdullah Sahal is the commander here. I am just a guest. So I have to address everyone individually. That’s fine, right?" Prabowo asked.

"Because I am the President of the Republic of Indonesia. That role is both a state position and a political position. A political leader cannot offend anyone," he added.

Prabowo even joked that not mentioning certain figures by name during his speech could cause other problems.

"So if there’s any figure I don’t mention later, oh that’s dangerous," Prabowo said.

At the event, Prabowo was present to deliver remarks at the 100th Anniversary Thanksgiving Reception of the Modern Islamic Boarding School Darussalam Gontor.

Before giving his speech, Prabowo greeted several Gontor leaders, state officials, heads of institutions, ambassadors from friendly countries, and other notable figures attending the event.

Prabowo expressed his gratitude for the invitation to attend the centennial celebration of Darussalam Gontor Modern Islamic Boarding School.

"I would like to express my deepest thanks for the great honor of being invited to give a speech at the 100th-anniversary celebration and thanksgiving event of the Darussalam Gontor Islamic Boarding School in Ponorogo, East Java," said Prabowo.