Politics

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).

Nearly 50 names were summoned by president elect Prabowo Subianto to sign the so-called integrity pact on Monday (Oct 14). We now have a clearer picture about his cabinet. Sri Mulyani Indrawati will be reappointed minister of finance, while Budi Gunadi Sadikin is retained at his current position (health affairs). 

By Monday (October 14) afternoon, more than 40 candidates have met president elect Prabowo Subianto at his private residence in Kertanegara, South Jakarta. They include familiar names from Jokowi’s cabinet like Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Erick Thohir, Airlangga Hartarto, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, and Zulkifli Hasan. 

Six days before taking oath, president elect Prabowo Subianto has summoned some people to his private residence on Monday (Oct 14). Those leaving the house basically confirming that they’ve been asked by Prabowo to become minister, but most of them were reluctant to talk about specific portfolios.