What will Prabowo Subianto's Indonesia be like?
Tomorrow the handover of power between Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and the former general elected in February. Mixed reactions in Indonesian society, where many remember the heavy nationalist past. The biggest unknowns concern support for the new capital Nusantara and the economic management of the country. Meanwhile, the number of government ministers will increase from 30 to 46, raising concerns about government spending.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - In Indonesia tomorrow, Sunday 20 October, the handover of power will take place between outgoing President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and his successor, a former political ‘rival’ who has become his loyal ally, Prabowo Subianto, 73, a former general and current Defence Minister, together with Jokowi's eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as the new Vice President.
There have been mixed reactions from Indonesian society, in anticipation of when the new top national leadership duo will run the government for the next five years, until 2029. With a past as an ardent nationalist, after winning last February's elections - in his third attempt in a decade - the president-elect had declared: ‘I will show that I will fight for all Indonesians, even those who did not vote for me’.
It is precisely the shadow of his past that has recently triggered some pessimistic perceptions about the future. For instance, it is an unknown whether Prabowo will practice his military leadership style and show his strong discontent against opposition groups, including critical media and their journalists. After losing the presidential race in 2014, he had said he had suffered a ‘major’ fraud. Others are sceptical as to whether Jokowi's ambitious legacy of developing the country's new capital, Nusantara Capital City (IKN), will be carried forward by the new administration, as Subianto has stated in the past that it could take years to complete the projects he has started. This comment gave Indonesian society the impression that Nusantara may become the obsolete legacy of Jokowi due to various causes, including the absence of funds, with few foreign investors interested in developing the ambition of this new Indonesian capital.
Over the past two days, Indonesian society has witnessed the consultations of Prabowo Subianto, who has invited many politicians, as well as business and academic personalities, to ministerial posts. There is widespread speculation that the move will lead to an increase in government spending, as Prabowo will extend the number of ministers from 30 to 46. At least a hundred people have already been invited to meet with Prabowo to discuss joining the team. This means that the next ministerial cabinet will be very large: Prabowo Subianto argues that this is necessary to better address the complexity of the various issues.
Among the former general's political promises is an increase in economic growth from 5 to 8 per cent, to be achieved by opening up to foreign investors and offering them the operational management of airports and seaports. Another solution is the sale of carbon credits abroad to finance green projects. In addition, the development of energy and food security through the self-sufficient production of basic goods with ‘food estate’ projects, such as the reclamation of swamps to make way for cassava cultivation and the creation of 3 million hectares for the cultivation of rice, maize and soya. It also aims at reducing diesel imports, with the increase of palm oil-based biodiesel to 50 per cent, thanks to the fact that the country is the world's largest producer of it.
There is also no shortage of popular policies, which include the distribution of free meals to schoolchildren, worth USD 28 billion: known as ‘free meals’, they are intended for 83 million children and pregnant women, in order to combat growing pains; a programme that has already received criticism from those who consider it too ‘sophisticated’. As for Nusantara, President Jokowi has already implemented a billion project; and despite Prabowo's commitment to carry it out, many have raised doubts about the balance of the state budget.
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