Politics

President Prabowo Subianto has on Sunday (Oct 20) announced his cabinet lineup consisting of seven coordinating ministers, 41 ministers, and five ministerial level directly reporting to the president. Some names have finally been confirmed, including Erick Thohir at SOEs, Bahlil at energy & mineral resources, Rosan at investment (whilst with add-on development of downstream industries). 

Rachmat Pambudy, Prabowo Subianto’s right-hand man in the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI), will reportedly become the Minister of National Development Planning (Bappenas). Rachmat will replace Suharso Monoarfa, a former Chairman of the Islamic Party PPP.

All questions about the future of Police General (ret) Budi Gunawan, former Chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), have been answered with his presence at the private residence of President-elect Prabowo Subianto in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java on Wednesday (Oct. 16). Budi Gunawan was there along with the other minister candidates in a briefing held by Prabowo.

The outgoing President Jokowi has nominated Lt. Gen. (ret) Muhammad Herindra as the new Chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) to replace Police General (ret) Budi Gunawan, who has been leading BIN for eight years, the second longest in the history of the Agency. Herindra has indeed been long tipped as the next BIN Chief and he was auditioned by President-elect Prabowo Subianto on Oct. 14.

Sugiono, a trusted aide of President-elect Prabowo Subianto, will become the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Sugiono is another alumnus of the SMA Taruna Nusantara within Prabowo’s inner circle.

Media mogul Surya Paloh, the Chairman of Nasdem Party, was among high-profile figures in Indonesian politics that were present in a doctorate promotion of Bahlil Lahadalia, the Chairman of Golkar Party and the current Minister of Energy & Mineral Resources (ESDM), held at the University of Indonesia (UI) on Wednesday (Oct. 16)—a topic of discussion over the net about credibility of the process. In the sideline of the event, Paloh only gave a brief statement, but it is truly worth highlighting regardless.

Prabowo Subianto will be sworn in new president of the republic of Indonesia October 20, 2024. He has summoned over 108 people to become ministers, vice ministers, and leaders of ministerial-level agencies. For two consecutive days on October 16 and 17, they participate in the so-called Hambalang Retreat in the president elect’s private residential complex in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java.

Prasetyo Hadi, one of Prabowo Subianto’s trusted aides, will become the Minister of State Secretary. Hadi is one of the alumni of the SMA Taruna Nusantara within the inner circle of Prabowo. He might be like Jokowi’s Pratikno, so everybody should closely watch.

It is confirmed that those (49 people) summoned by president elect Prabowo Subianto on Monday (Oct 15) are minister candidates. Vice minister candidates, meanwhile, were summoned on Oct 16. By far, around 17 ministers from Jokowi’s cabinet are retained, whilst some swapping portfolios or getting ‘promotion’ as coordinating ministers.

Police General (ret) Budi Gunawan was seen accompanying the outgoing President Jokowi in a visit to Aceh on Tuesday (Oct. 15), or five days after the President signed a Presidential Letter (Surpres) No. R51 regarding Budi’s dismissal from the position of the Chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the nomination of Lt. Gen. (ret) Muhammad Herindra as Budi’s successor. Budi himself has long been tipped as the next Coordinating Minister for Politics & Security in Prabowo-Gibran’s cabinet.