Indonesia leader Prabowo Subianto sworn in with largest cabinet in decades
Former military general Prabowo Subianto has been sworn in as Indonesia’s president, unveiling the country’s largest cabinet since the 1960s.
At 73, Prabowo, who has long faced allegations of human rights abuses, was inaugurated on Sunday as Indonesia’s eighth president. His victory marks the end of the era under Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, who led the country through a decade of economic growth and infrastructure expansion.
After two previous unsuccessful attempts at the presidency, Prabowo finally secured the top office by winning over 58% of the vote in February’s elections, defeating two rivals.
He took the oath of office alongside his running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of Jokowi.
The inauguration was attended by over 30 global leaders, including British Foreign Minister David Lammy, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Prabowo announced a cabinet of 48 ministers and 58 vice-ministers, significantly larger than the 34 ministers and 30 vice-ministers under Jokowi. The new cabinet was officially sworn in on Monday afternoon.
Some analysts suggest that the inclusion of 17 ministers from Jokowi’s administration in Prabowo’s cabinet is a “political reward” for Jokowi’s tacit support, which is believed to have helped secure Prabowo’s electoral win. Among the re-appointees are Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto.
“It seems that Prabowo wants to repay those who supported him politically rather than prioritising institutional reforms,” public policy scholar Lina Miftahul Jannah told BBC Indonesian.
A “bloated cabinet” can complicate bureaucracy and lengthen the policy-making process, she said, adding that re-organising the different ministries would also be resource intensive.
“That costs a lot, in the sense that it’s not just the money spent, but the energy as well,” Dr Jannah.
Some see the lineup as a sign of policy continuity in South East Asia’s largest economy.
The re-appointments also show that Prabowo “does not want to take further risks”, political scientist Burhanuddin Muhtadi told Reuters.
“That’s why he chose key figures that served under Jokowi,” he said. Prabowo had promised during his campaign to continue Jokowi’s development and infrastructure-focussed policies.
In his inauguration speech on Sunday, Prabowo vowed to eradicate corruption, poverty, and said he would be president for all Indonesians.
“We must always realise that a free nation is where the people are free,” said the president in a fiery speech that lasted almost an hour.
“They must be freed of fear, poverty, hunger, ignorance, oppression, suffering.”
On the foreign policy front, he affirmed Indonesia’s longstanding policy of non alignment – where the country does not ally itself with major power blocs.
“We will stand against all colonialism and we will defend the interests of oppressed people worldwide,” he said.
Prabowo’s new cabinet will begin their term with a three-day retreat at a military academy in central Java.
The ministers and their deputies will be staying in tents during the retreat, which aims to foster team cohesion and align the cabinet with Prabowo’s vision, according to migrant protection minister Abdul Kadir Karding, as reported by Reuters.
Prabowo is set to make his first international appearances at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit next month, followed by the G20 Summit.