The Prabowo era is born in Indonesia

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