Indonesia’s newly minted leader, President Prabowo Subianto, officially swore in his cabinet on Oct.21, a team that analysts said reflected continuity of his predecessor’s main policies.
Prabowo took office on Oct.20 as the eighth Indonesian president, taking the mantle from Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. In a fiery speech to lawmakers, he promised to eradicate corruption and aim to reach self-sufficiency in food and energy.
Prabowo’s so-called “red and white” cabinet has 48 ministries with over 100 ministers and deputies, including re-appointments of Sri Mulyani Indrawati as finance minister and Bahlil Lahadalia as energy minister.
Sri Mulyani will preside over Prabowo’s main programmes, including giving free meals to about 20 million children which could cost the state budget 71 trillion rupiah ($4.60 billion) in the first year, a number intended to keep the annual fiscal deficit under a legislated ceiling of 3% of gross domestic product.
A former World Bank managing director, Sri Mulyani has earned plaudits for reforming the taxation system while working under two presidents before Prabowo. She did not answer questions on her future fiscal policies and merely told reporters she was “ready for duty.”
Investors fear Prabowo’s huge spending plans might derail its track record of fiscal prudence in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Other key re-appointments include chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto and Erick Thohir as the state-owned enterprises minister.
Meutya Hafid, a former reporter who will head up the newly renamed communications and digital ministry, said she would focus on data protection, online safety for children and make sure the internet is accessible to all.
Investment minister Rosan Roeslani said his focus was on expanding Jokowi’s policy of increasing domestic resource processing to include fisheries and seaweed.
Prabowo’s re-appointments show his intention to continue the policies of Jokowi, especially on the economy, said analyst Burhanuddin Muhtadi.
“Prabowo does not want to take further risks and that’s why he chose key figures that served under Jokowi,” he said, adding these appointments give Prabowo some political security.
Indonesia’s new foreign minister is Sugiono, deputy of the parliamentary commission overseeing foreign policy. Zulkifli Hasan, the minister overseeing food supply, said he would expand farming in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region to reach Prabowo’s target of food self-sufficiency.
Luhut Pandjaitan, Jokowi’s senior minister who spearheaded Indonesia’s mineral processing industry, has been named the head of the country’s National Economic Council, which advises the president.
Prabowo’s cabinet differs in some aspects from Jokowi’s as some ministries have been broken up or renamed. Education and culture ministries are separate, as well as environment and forestry.
Ahead of the swearing in, Prabowo held a meeting with China’s visiting Vice President Han Zheng, according to a post on his official social media platform X and China’s foreign ministry. ($1 = 15,437.0000 rupiah)
(Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman)
