How will Prabowo Subianto, a former general who never held elected office, lead Indonesia?

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Foreign leaders congratulated Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on his apparent victory in Indonesia’s presidential election, even as rights activists denounced him as a threat. But how he will govern remains uncertain, after a campaign in which he made few concrete promises other than continuity with the popular outgoing president.

The 72-year-old former general has never held elected office. He will lead a vast, diverse island nation whose economy has grown rapidly amid strong global demand for its natural resources, but he will have to grapple with the global economic crisis and regional tensions in Asia, where regional conflict and US-China rivalry loom. Has been. Big.

The election result capped a long comeback for Subianto, who was expelled from the Indonesian military after his men accused him of torturing dissidents, and was banned from traveling to the United States and Australia for years.

He declared victory on Wednesday night after unofficial data from polling agencies showed him with a huge lead over two other contenders in the race to lead the world’s third-largest democracy. If official counts over the next few weeks confirm his victory, he will take office in November.

He has vowed to continue Widodo’s modernization efforts, which have boosted Indonesia’s economic growth by building infrastructure and taking advantage of the country’s abundant resources. A signature policy requires that nickel, a major Indonesian export and a key component of electric car batteries, be processed in local factories rather than exported raw.

He has also promised to pursue Widodo’s most ambitious and controversial project, the construction of a new capital on the frontier island of Borneo, about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 mi) from the overcrowded current capital of Jakarta.

Subianto was a longtime rival of Widodo, having twice run against him for the presidency, and refused to accept his defeat in 2019. But after his re-election, Widodo asked Subianto to serve as defense chief. He accepted the offer, which served as a springboard for his spectacular comeback. Subianto chose Widodo’s son as his running mate and earned tacit support from the outgoing leader.

Subianto’s background and personality are a sharp contrast to his hugely popular predecessor. He is known for his anger, discomfort with criticism and fiery speeches. The soft-spoken Widodo rarely showed anger in public.

Subianto comes from one of the wealthiest families in the country and his father was an influential politician who served as a minister under both Suharto and Sukarno, the country’s first president. Widodo rose to the presidency from a humble background and as president he often mingled with working-class crowds and journalists.

It is uncertain how Subianto will respond to political dissent, street protests and critical journalism.

But for now, he appears to have widespread support. Unofficial results showed he received more than 55% of the vote in a three-way race, enough to win without a runoff.

Jakarta resident Josteka Banjarnahor, who voted for Subianto, said his long-term bid for the presidency shows his sincerity. “It’s not because he’s hungry for position,” she said. “If you think about his actual age, he’s no longer fit, but his dream of running for president at times means he wants some good things.”

Concerns among rights activists

Many activists see the former general’s ties as a bad omen to the brutal authoritarian regime of Suharto – whose daughter was once Subianto’s wife.

“Winter is coming,” Osman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International in Indonesia, told The Associated Press.

“People may be old, but if they are authoritarian, they are still authoritarian,” Hamid said. “It is important for us to create structural conditions. There must be dissenting voices, there must be room for freedom and there must be integrity of the electoral system.”

Subianto was expelled from the military, where he served as a special forces commander, over allegations that he played a role in the kidnapping and torture of activists and other abuses. He never faced trial and vehemently denied any involvement, although several of his men were tried and convicted.

Subianto’s foreign policy

On foreign policy, Sana Jafari, a research fellow in the Department of Political and Social Change at the Australian National University, said Subianto would likely continue Widodo’s efforts to maintain relations with both Beijing and Washington, while ruling out an alliance with either. Will give.

The delicate balancing act has paved the way for substantial Chinese trade and investment to Indonesia, including a $7.3 billion high-speed railway, which was largely funded by China, while Jakarta has promoted defense ties. and intensified military exercises with the US under Subianto as defense chief.

The United States and Australia banned Subianto from entry for years because of his human rights record, but in 2020 he traveled to the US to meet Mark Esper, his American counterpart as Widodo’s defense minister. Indonesian activists then said that the US decision to allow Subianto to return to the US after a two-decade ban was a “damage to human rights”.

The leaders of Australia, Singapore and Malaysia were among the first to congratulate Subianto.

“I was honored to be the first foreign leader to speak today with Prabowo, who has clear leadership in official and unofficial matters, about my ambition for the future of Australia-Indonesia relations,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote on Twitter. As Twitter.

The US State Department issued a statement on Wednesday, while preliminary results were still being counted, congratulating Indonesians for the overwhelming turnout and citing 75 years of diplomatic relations between Washington and Jakarta, Subianto’s Without mentioning.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “This vote was a testament to the durability and strength of the Indonesian people’s commitment to the democratic process and the institution of elections.” He said the US is awaiting the announcement of official results.

Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez and Andy Jatmiko in Jakarta and Haruka Nuga in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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