(MENAFN- Asia Times)
JAKARTA – Prabowo Subianto has been inaugurated as Indonesia's eighth president, marking the end of both outgoing President Joko Widodo's ten years in office and Prabowo's own multi-decade quest for the top job.
In his inaugural address to Indonesia's parliament, Prabowo called on politicians and the nation to be brave in the face of challenges and put the interests of the Indonesian people above all else – including their own private interests.
But, what can we actually expect for the next five years? On the campaign trail, Prabowo, once Widodo's bitter rival, vowed to be a faithful heir to his predecessor's policies.
Yet, many expect the famously headstrong former general will go his own way on various fronts. In his inaugural address and cabinet picks announced later, a few key themes emerged: the need for an active foreign policy, a lean toward autarky in economics, a focus on poverty alleviation and a potential shift toward more authoritarian governance.
Foreign policy “In facing the international world, Indonesia chooses a free and active path, non-aligned,” declared Prabowo, speaking to parliament.“Thus, we want to be friends with all countries, but we have principles, namely anti-colonialism because we have experienced colonization.”
In this light he went on to affirm Indonesia's support for Palestinian independence – something parliament greeted with raucous cheers.
Indonesia's principle of non-alignment paired broadly with a Third Worldist orientation is standard fare, suggesting continuity with Widodo, and, indeed, the policies that have guided Indonesia since 1998. However, there are also signs that Prabowo will blaze his own trail.
Widodo basically let the foreign ministry run itself for a decade, taking little interest in foreign affairs beyond their economic aspect. Prabowo, however, takes a much closer personal interest and will likely look to play an active role on the world stage.
This is reflected in the newly appointed foreign minister, Sugiono, a relatively little-known aide to Prabowo. In choosing Sugiono, Prabowo has broken with the post-1998 precedent of appointing a career diplomat to head the ministry.
Prabowo seems to want a foreign minister subordinate to him and with few, if any, loyalties to the powerful ministry civil service.
In his speeches, Prabowo has suggested a desire to play the role of an honest broker in international conflicts. Most notably, at the Shangri La Dialogue in 2023, he surprised many with a proposed peace plan for the Russia-Ukraine war.
Defense diplomacy may well step up. As defense minister, Prabowo oversaw the scaling up of Garuda Shield exercises with the US and the signing of a new military cooperation agreement with Australia, which he spearheaded in his role as Indonesia's defense minister from 2019 to 2024.
Significantly, his views of the Quad and AUKUS, both seen as aimed at counterbalancing China in the Indo-Pacific, are noticeably more relaxed than many in the Indonesian establishment.
However, this should not be simplistically viewed as Prabowo leaning toward the US and its allies. Indeed, Prabowo's first overseas visit after his election this year was to China, a reflection of both China's desire to court Indonesia and Indonesia's need for Chinese investment to grow its economy. His China visit was then balanced by subsequent visits to Japan and Malaysia.
Prabowo is also expected to take a cautious view on the issue of Israel and Palestine. Unlike many in Indonesia, he declined to criticize moves like Australia's move of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
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