Former General Prabowo takes office as Indonesian president

JAKARTA Former general Prabowo Subianto was sworn in as Indonesia's president on Sunday, seeking a more prominent position on the global stage for the world's fourth most populous country.

The fiery 73-year-old nationalist, accused of human rights abuses during his military service, was sworn in in Parliament to officially succeed outgoing leader Joko Widodo.

“I swear that I will fulfill the duties of President of the Republic of Indonesia as best as possible and as fairly as possible,” he said.

Prabowo committed to Indonesia's non-aligned foreign policy but indicated he would be bolder on the world stage.

He made his first foreign visit to China after his election eight months ago, before traveling to a dozen other countries, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Australia, where he signed a key security agreement.

He will also inherit Southeast Asia's largest economy and the world's largest nickel reserves, taking over a country of 280 million people, around half of whom are under 30 years old.

Prabowo won a landslide victory in the first round of voting in February, helped by the support of his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Widodo's 37-year-old son, and by bold campaign promises including a free meal plan of $28 billion for children.

The former defense minister, dressed in traditional attire, delivered a bombastic speech to lawmakers who applauded him and chanted his name.

“We will lead the Indonesian government… prioritizing the interests of all Indonesians, including those who did not vote for us,” he said.

He spoke of presiding over a “peaceful democracy”, of sticking to a policy of “good neighborliness” and said there was still too much corruption “at all levels”, before ending his speech with cries of “freedom!”

Prabowo was then due to parade between parliament and the palace for a handover ceremony with Widodo, better known as Jokowi, a former rival against whom he lost two elections in 2014 and 2019.

Several dozen diplomats attended his inauguration, including British Foreign Minister David Lammy and Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng.

Indonesia's new President Prabowo Subianto (right) gestures as his predecessor Joko Widodo (left) applauds during the presidential inauguration at Parliament in Jakarta on October 20, 2024. AFP PHOTO

Disappearances

Security was beefed up in the capital Jakarta ahead of the inauguration, with around 100,000 police and military personnel deployed.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets of Jakarta as Prabowo became Indonesia's eighth leader since the country gained independence from Dutch colonial rule in 1945.

While his supporters hailed his rise to the presidency, critics pointed to a checkered past.

NGOs and his former military leaders accuse Prabowo of ordering the kidnapping of democracy activists at the end of dictator Suharto's regime in the late 1990s.

According to the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence, or Kontras, 23 activists were kidnapped between 1997 and 1998.

Nine were found alive, one was found dead and 13 remain missing.

Prabowo was discharged from military service over the kidnappings, but denied the allegations and was never charged.

The United States once refused to give Prabowo a visa due to his rights record, and he was also reportedly blacklisted in Australia for a time.

Prabowo was also accused of involvement in military crimes in East Timor while the country was under Indonesian occupation.

“Concerns remain about what Prabowo’s rise could mean for democracy and human rights,” said Parker Novak, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Grandfather

A new image appealed to young voters in the last elections, with Prabowo transforming himself into a grandfather figure.

He shared images of his cats with his six million followers on Instagram, while videos of him dancing went viral and touted him as everyone's contestant.

The decision to recruit Gibran as a vice presidential candidate also proved popular, but sparked controversy after the rules were changed to lower the age of candidates.

Gibran's popularity is linked to his father, who brought Indonesia relatively unscathed from the Covid-19 pandemic and returned it to 5% growth.

The outgoing president's successor set an even higher growth target of 8%.

But experts say a bigger challenge awaits Prabowo on the world stage.

“He will have to manage inevitable tensions between his country's extensive economic relations with China and growing security relations with the United States and Australia,” Novak said.