JAKARTA, Indonesia — Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated Sunday as the eighth president of the world’s most Muslim country, completing his journey from a former general accused of rights abuses during the dark days of Indonesia’s military dictatorship to the presidential palace.
The former defense minister, who would have turned 73 on Thursday, was cheered on by thousands of cheering supporters after swearing in the Quran in front of lawmakers and foreign dignitaries. Banners and billboards lined the streets of the capital, Jakarta, where tens of thousands gathered to celebrate.
Dressed in traditional blue Betawi cloth and a black baseball cap, Subianto stood on the roof of a white pickup truck and waved, occasionally shaking hands with people, as his motorcade struggled through thousands of fans chanting his name and chanting “Good luck Prabowo. -Gibran,” filling the road from the parliament to the presidential palace.
“I see a strong and patriotic person,” said Atalaric Eka Prayoga, 25. “That’s the number we need to lead Indonesia.”
Another citizen, Silky Putri, said she hoped that Subianto “can build Indonesia to become more developed and improve the poor economic situation.”
Subianto has been a long-time rival of popular President Joko Widodo, who ran against him for the presidency twice and refused to accept defeat both times, in 2014 and 2019.
But Widodo appointed Subianto as defense chief after his re-election, paving the way for unity despite their political parties. During the campaign, Subianto ran as the successor to the popular outgoing president, vowing to continue signature policies such as a multi-billion dollar new capital construction and restrictions on raw material exports aimed at boosting domestic industry.
Backed by Widodo, Subianto won a landslide victory in February’s direct presidential election with promises of policy continuity.
Subianto was sworn in with his new vice president, Surakarta, 37, former Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka. He chose Raka, Widodo’s son, as his boss, with Widodo choosing Subianto over his former party’s candidate. The former rivals became silent allies, although Indonesian presidents generally do not promote candidates.
But how he will govern Southeast Asia’s largest economy – where about 90 percent of Indonesia’s 282 million people are Muslim – remains uncertain after a campaign in which he made few concrete promises without continuing with the popular former president.
After decades of dictatorship under President Suharto, Indonesia was wracked by political, ethnic and religious unrest in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since then, it has consolidated its democratic transition as the third largest democracy in the world, and is home to a rapidly growing middle class.
Subianto, who comes from one of the country’s wealthiest families, is a stark contrast to Widodo, the first Indonesian president to come from outside the political and military ranks.
Subianto was a special forces commander until he was expelled from the force in 1998 due to allegations that he participated in the kidnapping and torture of activists and other abuses. He did not face trial and went into exile in Jordan in 1998, although several of his subordinates were tried and convicted.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein was expected to attend Sunday’s ceremony, but withdrew at the last minute due to tensions in the Middle East, instead deciding to send Foreign Minister Nancy Namrouqa as his special envoy. Subianto and Abdullah met in person in June for talks in Amman on aid to people affected by the war in Gaza.
Subianto, who has never held elected office, will lead a large, diverse island nation with a booming economy amid strong global demand for its natural resources. But he will have to deal with global economic pressures and regional tensions in Asia, where territorial disputes and the US-China rivalry are heating up.
Leaders and senior officials from more than 30 countries flew in to attend the event, including Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and leaders of Southeast Asian countries. US President Joe Biden sent Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations. Adm. Samuel Paparo, the US commander of the Indo-Pacific Command, was also among the American delegation.
Analysts and the media consider Subianto to be a leader with greater international recognition than Widodo. He has already held a number of meetings with a number of foreign officials, said Adhi Priamarizki, who is also a researcher at the Singapore International School iS. Rajaratnam.
He said security development is at the top of his list of priorities. Subianto encouraged the expansion of the military through the purchase of submarines, frigates and warplanes and wants to initiate more defense cooperation with various countries, Priamarizki said.
The election result sealed a long-awaited comeback for Subianto, who had been banned for years from traveling to the United States and Australia.
He vowed to continue Widodo’s modernization efforts, which have boosted Indonesia’s economic growth by building infrastructure and using the country’s abundant resources. The signature policy required nickel, a major Indonesian export and a key component of electric car batteries, to be processed in local factories rather than shipped raw.
He also promised to move forward with Widodo’s most ambitious and controversial project: the construction of a new capital in Borneo, about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) from congested Jakarta.
A rousing speaker, Subianto decried widespread corruption in his opening speech, saying many people are struggling to find jobs, children are malnourished and their schools are poorly maintained.
“There are too many of our brothers and sisters below the poverty line, many of our children go to school without eating breakfast and without school clothes,” said Subianto.
Before the February presidential election, he also promised to provide free lunch and milk to 83 million students in more than 400,000 schools across the country. It is expected to cost 71 billion rupiah ($4.5 billion) in its first year and aims to reduce malnutrition and stunted growth among children.
“We must dare to see all this and we must dare to solve all these problems,” said Subianto on Sunday.
He also promised to continue with a neutral foreign policy and to be a good neighbor.
“We will fight against all colonists and we will defend the interests of oppressed people around the world,” Subianto said.
Subianto had at least seven interactions with American officials, most of the foreign officials he met after the election, and six with Chinese officials, Priamarizki said.
“It can be read as the first sign that Prabowo intends to use a balanced approach towards both countries,” he said.
Subianto’s “good neighborly foreign policy” also reflects his intention to establish strong relations with Southeast Asian countries.
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