New era begins in Indonesia: Prabowo Subianto becomes President, vows policy continuity
- In Reports
- 04:21 PM, Oct 21, 2024
- Myind Staff
Indonesia’s newly elected president, Prabowo Subianto, took office on Sunday, marking the end of Joko Widodo’s decade-long leadership. The 73-year-old former general, who has faced human rights abuse allegations for years, officially became Indonesia's eighth president, after securing over 58% of the vote in February's election.
Prabowo's inauguration was attended by more than 30 leaders, including British foreign minister David Lammy, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. He was sworn in alongside his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of former president Joko Widodo, known locally as Jokowi.
Prabowo named 48 ministers and 58 vice-ministers to his new cabinet, making it the largest since the 1960s. In comparison, Jokowi’s administration had 34 ministers and 30 vice-ministers. The newly formed cabinet was officially sworn in on Monday afternoon. Observers have suggested that Prabowo’s decision to reappoint 17 ministers from Jokowi’s cabinet, including Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto, is a "political reward" to Jokowi, whose tacit support is believed to have helped Prabowo secure his electoral victory.
"It seems that Prabowo wants to repay those who supported him politically rather than prioritising institutional reforms," said public policy scholar Lina Miftahul Jannah to BBC Indonesian. She added that a "bloated cabinet" could complicate bureaucracy and lengthen the policy-making process. "Re-organising the different ministries will also be resource-intensive, not just financially, but in terms of the energy involved," she said.
Political scientist Burhanuddin Muhtadi noted that the cabinet appointments also reflect Prabowo’s intention to avoid further risks. "That’s why he chose key figures that served under Jokowi," Muhtadi told Reuters, highlighting that Prabowo promised to continue Jokowi’s focus on development and infrastructure policies during his campaign.
In his inauguration speech, Prabowo vowed to combat corruption and poverty and emphasised that he would govern for all Indonesians. "We must always realise that a free nation is where the people are free," he said in a fiery speech that lasted almost an hour. "They must be freed of fear, poverty, hunger, ignorance, oppression, and suffering."
On foreign policy, Prabowo reaffirmed Indonesia’s non-alignment stance, asserting that the country would stand against all forms of colonialism and defend the rights of oppressed people worldwide.
Prabowo’s new cabinet will begin its term with a three-day retreat at a military academy in central Java, where ministers and deputies will stay in tents to foster camaraderie and understand the president’s vision. His first international engagements as president will include appearances at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and the G20 Summit next month.
This leadership transition is expected to bring both continuity and change, as Prabowo seeks to build on Jokowi’s legacy while carving his own path in Indonesia's economic and political future.
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