Politics

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A complex political structure, combined with aspiration of the president elect for Guyub (togetherness, friendly with everybody, no opposition necessary), leads to Prabowo’s decision to expand the central government bureaucracy with nearly 50 ministers and over 60 vice ministers, more than twice the cabinet of India and China, two of the world’s most populous nations.

Almost 60 people were confirmed for ministerial position on Monday (Oct 14) outside the National Police Chief and Attorney General. If that’s already long enough, today we’re given a longer list of people summoned by president elect Prabowo to become vice ministers or heads of ministerial level agencies. 

People are surprised with some of the figures summoned by President-elect Prabowo Subianto on the first day of audition for minister candidates at his private residence in Kertangera, South Jakarta on Monday (Oct. 14). One of them is Muhaimin Iskandar, the chairman of PKB. However, we’re not among those surprised with Muhaimin’s presence because from the beginning we’ve mentioned that Muhaimin is seeking for a minister position in Prabowo-Gibran’s cabinet.

People wonder whether there were minister candidates from PDIP and PKS summoned by President-elect Prabowo Subianto to his private residence in Kertanegara, South Jakarta on Monday (Oct. 14). They haven’t seen names from these two parties among the figures summoned by Prabowo yesterday, but we believe that a minister candidate from PKS is Yassierli, a professor from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).