Prabowo vows to serve all Indonesians as new president, pledges reforms
Prabowo Subianto took office as Indonesia’s eighth president on Oct 20, promising to improve the lives of his fellow citizens across the archipelago.
In a wide-ranging inaugural speech after his swearing-in ceremony at the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) in Jakarta, Prabowo said he and his Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka will serve all Indonesians.
“With a full sense of responsibility and with all the strength in our souls and bodies, we will carry out the leadership of Indonesia... by prioritising the interests of all Indonesian people, including those who did not vote for us,” he said.
Many people still live with difficulties in the country, said Prabowo, adding that his administration will work to improve the lives of Indonesians across Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
The former defence minister takes over from Joko Widodo, whose son Gibran, 37, was fielded as Prabowo’s running mate in the Feb 14 election and was sworn in as vice-president at the same ceremony. Hopes are high that the transition will usher in another period of political stability, and continue to raise the archipelago’s standing on the world stage.
Clad in a blue traditional Javanese outfit, Prabowo, 73, recited his oath of office with a copy of the Quran held over his head.
“By God, I swear to carry out my duties as president of the Republic of Indonesia as best and as justly as I can, upholding the Constitution, the laws and the regulations of the republic,” he said.
He then embraced Widodo, 63, and both men exchanged seats at the front of the hall to applause from the attendees.
In the audience were Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Mrs Wong, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles. Other guests included South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng. The delegation from the United States was led by US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Posters and banners across Jakarta featured messages supporting Prabowo and Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi. They read: “Thank you, Jokowi. All the best, Prabowo Gibran.”
Prabowo was elected on Feb 14 with more than 58 % of the vote. It was his third attempt at becoming president, after running against Widodo in 2014 and 2019.
Prabowo defeated two other candidates, former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan.
The inauguration was also attended by former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Another former president, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, sent her daughter and party executive Puan Maharani as her representative, as she could not attend due to a cold.
Even before taking up the top post, Prabowo had already begun work on a free lunch programme that was a key plank of his campaign.
The plan, for which the government has set aside 71 trillion rupiah (S$6 billion), aims to help the poorest communities in Indonesia and address the problem of stunting by providing free meals to all children and pregnant mothers.
“Too many of our brothers and sisters are below the poverty line. Too many of our children go to school without breakfast,” Prabowo said in his inaugural speech as president.
He has also set an ambitious target for economic growth to hit 8 % annually, up from a current rate of 5 %.
He has signalled that he wants Indonesia to play a more active role on the global stage. “There is a saying, A thousand friends are too few, one enemy is too many. We want to be a best friend of all nations,” he said during his speech.
In the evening, Prabowo hosted a state dinner for guests at the presidential palace. He later announced his Cabinet line-up, which featured a mix of politicians, professionals and business managers.
Hariz Baharudin
The Straits Times
Asia News Network
