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KN. Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto and Mayor of Central Java’s Solo Gibran Rakabuming Raka were declared victors of the 2024 presidential election by the General Elections Commission (KPU) on April 24.
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Not long after the declaration, Prabowo revealed his plan on paying a visit to several Middle Eastern leaders. The president-elect had earlier embarked on working visits to China, Japan, and Malaysia following the result of the election vote recapitulation announced by the KPU on March 20.
Prabowo’s past and planned visits point to his ambition to carry on harmonious diplomatic relations fostered between Indonesia and its partners under the administration of President Joko Widodo and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin.
Indonesia’s unsuccessful presidential contender Ganjar Pranowo has reiterated that he would not join the upcoming administration of his former rival Prabowo Subianto, stating instead that he would like to maintain scrutiny over the incoming government.
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“Firstly, I would like to declare that I would not join this administration, but I would maintain my respect for it. I would also like to keep proper scrutiny of it,” local media quoted Mr Ganjar as saying to his election campaigning team at a gathering in Jakarta.
With five months to go before his inauguration as the successor to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, president-elect Prabowo Subianto has ample time to complete his East Asia introductory tour by paying a courtesy call to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul. Prabowo visited China and Japan early last month, as well as Malaysia.
He obviously won strong assurances from both China and Japan that they would continue to maintain close economic and diplomatic ties with his incoming government. But equally important is South Korea’s support.
Gerindra Party executive Habiburokhman said that adding new ministries to the upcoming administration of party patron and president-elect Prabowo Subianto would be a “good thing” for Indonesia to help address its vast arrays of issues.
His statement came amid reports that Prabowo is looking into adding new portfolios to accommodate demands from leaders of political parties who are eager to get more seats in the cabinet.
“I don’t see any issues with involving as many people as possible [in the cabinet],” he was quoted by Antara as saying on Monday. “We are a big country with big challenges and big targets. It’s only reasonable that we need a lot of people in the government.”
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Vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka has hinted that professionals will make up the majority of cabinet ministers under the administration of president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who will be inaugurated on Oct. 20.
Gibran, the eldest son of outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo also added that Prabowo had the full prerogative to pick candidates for ministerial positions in the upcoming administration.
“There will be a lot of professionals. But please wait because any decision regarding cabinet ministers will be in the hands of Pak Prabowo as the president-elect,” Gibran told reporters in Surakarta.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has dropped another hint that it may play an opposition role to the incoming government ahead of the much-anticipated meeting between its chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and president-elect Prabowo Subianto.
In a speech for a post-Idul Fitri event with his supporters and campaigners, unsuccessful PDI-P presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo announced that he would take up the role of an opposition to the next administration.
“I hereby declare first that I will not join [the next] government. But I have respect for [our] government, so we will carry out control [supervision] properly,” Ganjar said, as broadcast by Kompas TV.
Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto is said to be contemplating a significantly bigger Cabinet with the expansion of ministries in his upcoming administration, according to reports by the local media.
Mr Prabowo and his Vice-President-elect, Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka, are said to be planning for a Cabinet which will see an increase in the number of ministries from the existing 34 to over 40.
Some observers noted that a bigger Cabinet is part of Mr Prabowo’s attempt to facilitate his incoming government’s ability to fulfil its election promises, including the provision of a free lunch initiative.
Jokowi confirmed he agreed with Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who earlier advised Prabowo against bringing toxic people into his Cabinet. “Yes, that is correct,” Widodo responded briefly.
Ganjar Pranowo reiterated that he will not be part of Prabowo Subianto’s future government. He said the recent election was not solely about the pursuit of power but also about upholding principles and democratic values.
Ganjar recommended that Prabowo/Gibran prioritize the appointment of professionals who are responsive to change, rather than focusing solely on power-sharing with their allies. He also cautioned against expanding the size of the cabinet, noting that the existing law limits the number of ministries to 34.
PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto agreed, when asked on Monday, that Ganjar’s position was indicative of the party’s future direction.
A senior Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician has said that two former Jakarta governors, Basuki Thahaja “Ahok” Purnama and Anies Baswedan, are among individuals being considered as gubernatorial candidates for the November regional election in Jakarta.
PDI-P Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto acknowledged that Anies and Ahok were among the names proposed by the party’s rank and file. Hasto, however, could not guarantee whether the two politicians would appear on the ballot paper for the Jakarta gubernatorial election in November.
Former vice presidential candidate for the 2024 general elections, Mahfud Md, said that for him, the 2024 election is legally finished.
“Strictly speaking for me, the 2024 presidential election is finished based on constitutional law, but not in terms of politics as there is still a lot that can be done,” said Mahfud when speaking at a national seminar at the Faculty of Law, UII Yogyakarta.
The former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs said that legally, the Constitutional Court decision to win presidential-vice presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka must be accepted by the public as a binding verdict. “Because there are no constitutional legal efforts that can be taken to fight the verdict,” said Mahfud.
President-elect Prabowo Subianto is facing among the first challenges of his office to-be as he seeks to form an effective government amid jostling for strategic cabinet posts within his big-tent alliance.
Prabowo, who will be inaugurated in October along with vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is engaged in negotiations with leaders of political parties in his ever-growing coalition over the composition of his incoming cabinet.
Prabowo is reportedly also looking into adding new ministerial posts to his government, an idea that rivals say is simply a means of accommodating his allies with little regard for effective governance.
It is likely that the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka cabinet will be far from slim and agile. The plan by the president-elect and the vice-president-elect to form a government that includes almost every political party is a sign that they will exercise power-sharing through ministerial positions.
Some people may think that there is nothing wrong with this kind of politics because support from all parties in the House of Representatives (DPR) will result in a stable government. However, as well as weakening the balance of power, which is an important element of a democratic nation, this sharing out of cabinet seats will be a burden on the state.
Allies of Prabowo Subianto are voicing their full support for the president-elect’s proposal to expand the number of ministries in his future cabinet, citing the need to address upcoming challenges more effectively.
Kamhar Lakumani, an executive of the Democratic Party, went as far as to suggest that having up to 40 ministries would be reasonable to tackle the pressing issues confronting the incoming government.
“With the constantly shifting geopolitical landscape, the government must evolve into a more responsive and adaptable entity,” Kamhar said in Jakarta.
President-elect Prabowo Subianto asked those not wanting to be part of his upcoming government not to interfere with its programs. He made the statement during a national National Mandate Party (PAN) meeting held at JS Luwansa Hotel in South Jakarta.
He said Indonesia’s current progress could not be halted unless the elites refused to cooperate. Hence, he claimed that he would run the administration with amicable forces and would not be bothered by the opposition.
“If you don’t want to cooperate, don’t trouble [my future administration],” the Gerindra patron chief remarked.
He also requested the opposition to be mere spectators. “Please be a good spectator. We want to work,” he added.
President-elect Prabowo Subianto has offered ministerial positions to the Democratic Party — a member of the coalition supporting him in the election — according to a spokesman for the party.
The offer from Prabowo was directly communicated to the party’s chairman, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, said Herzaky Mahendra Putra.
“Mr. Prabowo has requested Brother AHY to provide a list of our top cadres,” Herzaky informed reporters, referring to Agus by his initials.
“However, details regarding names and positions will be disclosed at the appropriate time. The announcement remains the prerogative of Mr. Prabowo and Brother AHY,” he added.
President-elect Prabowo Subianto warned members of the opposition camp not to impede the work of his incoming administration, as the country would be embarking on the difficult journey of creating prosperity for its people. Speaking at the national coordination meeting of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Prabowo said everyone should come together and join in the work of his upcoming administration, especially his child hunger elimination project.
Prabowo Subianto has claimed that all the past leaders of Indonesia would have endorsed him in the February presidential election. “One party has claimed ownership of Sukarno, and I say no, he belongs to us all. And I get the feeling that he would have endorsed me…”
Subianto’s recent comments about Sukarno point to a “growing impatience” in his efforts to court the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) as a stabilizing force for the incoming government, analysts contend.
As Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto prepares to enter office in October, he looks set to take a more assertive stance in foreign policy, saying diplomacy, negotiations and the “Asian Way” have helped to defuse tension. In an interview with Qatar news channel Al Jazeerabroadcast on Sunday, Prabowo said South-east Asia had experienced wars, foreign colonization, and interference in internal politics.
But he added: “We solved it without foreign interference, we talked, we met.” Asked about competition between China and the United States for influence in the region, the former special forces commander said Indonesia was very open to both countries. “We respect you, and are grateful for your past assistance,” he said.
“We invite the United States, the Japanese, the Koreans, the Europeans. The fact that we are friends with you doesn’t mean we can’t be friends with China, India, Russia,” he added, invoking Indonesia’s tradition and history of non-alignment.
The Indonesian Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) criticized the latest draft of the Broadcasting law, one of which concerning the ban on exclusive broadcasts of investigative journalism.
AJI Indonesia Secretary-General Bayu Wardhana believes that this regulation is a form of silencing the press. “This clause is considered to threaten press freedom. This article is confusing. Why is there a ban on the exclusive broadcast of investigative journalism?” Bayu said to journalists.
“This implies that investigative journalistic works cannot be broadcasted. The attempt to silence the press is very real,” he added.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is considering high-profile candidates to run in the upcoming Jakarta gubernatorial election, a boost the party could use to find another rising star following the departure of President Jokowi.
PDI-P is eyeing up big names to be nominated in the race, ranging from losing presidential candidate and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, and his predecessor in the city’s top job Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, to respected female ministers Sri Mulyani and Tri Rismaharini, and former Indonesian Military commander Andika Perkasa.
The Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), founded by President-Elect Prabowo Subianto, hinted at the possibility of revising the law that limits the number of ministries before he assumes office in October. Reports suggest that Prabowo aims to increase the number of ministries to up to 40, but the law currently restricts the total number to 34.