Former army general Prabowo Subianto was sworn in as Indonesia’s president as he announced the country’s largest cabinet since the 1960s.
The 73-year-old, who has been accused of human rights abuses for decades, took office on Sunday as the country’s eighth president.
This marks the end of an era under former leader Joko WidodoKnown locally as Jokowi, he has presided over more than a decade of economic growth and infrastructure development.
Having twice failed to become president, Prabowo finally won the top job after winning more than 58% of the vote in February’s election, ahead of two opponents.
Prabowo was sworn in alongside his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son.
More than 30 leaders attended the inauguration, including British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
He appointed 48 ministers and 58 deputy ministers in his new cabinet, compared to 34 ministers and 30 deputy ministers under Jokowi. They were officially sworn in on Monday afternoon.
Some observers believe that Prabowo’s cabinet structure – with 17 of the 48 ministers reappointed from Jokowi’s cabinet – is a “political reward” for his predecessor, whose support The underground is said to have fueled Prabowo’s election victory.
The reappointments include Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto.
“It seems that Prabowo wants to repay those who supported him politically rather than prioritizing institutional reform,” public policy scholar Lina Miftahul Jannah told BBC Indonesian.
A “bloated cabinet” could further complicate the bureaucracy and lengthen the policy-making process, she said, adding that reorganizing various ministries would also consume a lot of resources. force.
“It costs a lot, in the sense of not just the money spent but also the energy,” Dr. Jannah said.
Some see the lineup as a sign of policy continuity in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Political scientist Burhanuddin Muhtadi told Reuters that the reappointment also showed that Prabowo “did not want to take any further risks”.
“That’s why he chose key figures to serve under Jokowi,” he said. During the election campaign, Prabowo promised to continue Jokowi’s policies focusing on infrastructure and development.
In his inauguration speech on Sunday, Prabowo vowed to eliminate corruption and poverty and said he would be president for all Indonesians.
“We must always recognize that a free country is where its people are free,” the president said in a fiery speech that lasted nearly an hour.
“They must be liberated from fear, poverty, hunger, ignorance, oppression, suffering.”
In terms of foreign policy, he affirmed Indonesia’s long-standing policy of non-alignment – no alliances with major powers.
“We will resist all colonialism and we will defend the interests of oppressed people around the world,” he said.
Prabowo’s new cabinet will begin their term with a three-day retreat at a military academy in central Java.
Reuters quoted Migrant Protection Minister Abdul Kadir Karding as saying that ministers and their deputies will sleep in tents and that the retreat is aimed at bringing the cabinet together and helping members understand Prabowo’s vision. .
Prabowo will make his first global appearance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit next month and at the G20 summit shortly after.
