Former military general Prabowo Subianto has been sworn in as president of Indonesia, announcing the formation of the largest cabinet since the 1960s.
The 73-year-old, who has been dogged by decades of allegations of human rights abuses, was sworn in as the country’s eighth president on Sunday.
This marks the end of an era under former leader Joko Widodo, known locally as Jokowi, who led economic growth and infrastructure development for more than a decade.
Mr. Prabowo had twice failed to become president, but he finally clawed his way to the top job in February, winning more than 58% of the vote over two rivals.
Prabowo was sworn in alongside Jokowi’s eldest son and running mate, Gibran Rakabumin Raka.
More than 30 leaders attended the inauguration ceremony, including British Foreign Secretary David Lamy, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
He appointed 48 ministers and 58 deputy ministers to the new cabinet, compared to 34 ministers and 30 deputy ministers under Jokowi. They were officially sworn in Monday afternoon.
Some observers believe that Prabowo’s cabinet composition, in which 17 of his 48 ministers were reappointed from Jokowi’s cabinet, is a “political reward” for his predecessor, whose tacit support helped Prabowo win the election. I believe it is said to have boosted the
Those reappointed include Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Chief Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto.
“Rather than prioritizing institutional reform, Prabowo seems to want to repay those who have supported him politically,” public policy scholar Lina Miftahul Janna told BBC Indonesian.
A “bloated cabinet” could complicate the bureaucracy and lengthen the policy-making process, he said, adding that reorganization of ministries and agencies would also consume more resources.
“It’s quite expensive, not just in terms of money spent, but also energy,” Dr. Jana says.
Some see this lineup as a sign of continued policy in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Political scientist Burhanuddin Muftadi told Reuters the reappointment showed Prabowo was “unwilling to take further risks”.
“That’s why he chose key figures who served under Jokowi,” he said. During his campaign, Prabowo promised to continue Jokowi’s development- and infrastructure-focused policies.
In his inaugural address on Sunday, Prabowo vowed to eradicate corruption and poverty and said he would be a president for all Indonesians.
In an impassioned speech that lasted about an hour, the president said, “We must always remember that a free country is one where the people are free.”
“They must be freed from fear, poverty, hunger, ignorance, oppression and suffering.”
On the foreign policy front, he affirmed Indonesia’s long-standing policy of non-alignment, in which the country does not form alliances with major power blocs.
“We oppose all forms of colonialism and defend the interests of oppressed peoples around the world.”
Prabowo’s new cabinet will begin its term with a three-day training camp at a military academy in central Java.
Reuters quoted Immigration Protection Minister Abdul Kadir Kalding as saying that ministers and their MPs would sleep in tents, and that the training camp would strengthen ministerial cohesion and allow ministers to understand Prabowo’s vision. I told them that the aim was to do so.
Prabowo will make his first public appearance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting next month and the G20 summit shortly after.
