President Prabowo Subianto’s arguably lifelong dream of leading the country took nearly three decades to come true, fueled in part by his passionate passion to rehabilitate his name after the fall of President Soeharto, his then father-in-law, in 1998.
Prabowo found himself on an odyssey, wandering the world without a home for almost half a decade, from the United States to Jordan and beyond, before he was able to return to Indonesia.
After returning in 2001, he did not miss a moment and immediately pursued his goals. He rejoined the Golkar Party and maneuvered to find his place in the brand new Indonesian political constellation. His first attempt at Indonesian electoral politics was to win the throne directly in the 2004 presidential elections, in which he failed to obtain Golkar’s nomination.
Prabowo has traveled such a long and winding road to finally reach the peak of Indonesian political power. It’s a comeback story, contrasting with Jokowi’s “rags to riches” narrative. It is important to keep this mosaic of his history in mind as we seek to understand his upcoming leadership and the formation of his cabinet and inner circle of those ruling Indonesia.
Prabowo’s massively expanded office was no doubt designed not with efficiency in mind, but rather as a feast to reward those who supported him and welcome those who joined him later to keep his ship sailing smoothly. The nearly 30 percent increase in the number of ministerial positions, from 34 to almost 50, is expected to increase government spending by about 2 trillion rupees ($129 million).
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Prabowo’s presidency raises two important questions about the country’s future. First, what will be the state of our democracy? Secondly, what will be the quality of governance? Although they are related, Prabowo’s political philosophy seems to draw a clear line between them.
