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CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
‘Warm' first meeting of Indonesia President Prabowo, Vice-President Gibran and political rival Megawati fuels rift-healing talk
JAKARTA: Politicians from key factions have welcomed a rare joint public appearance of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and rival leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, with analysts describing it as a 'symbolic' gesture of reconciliation. The national event in Jakarta on Monday (Jun 2) marked the first time the trio was seen together after Prabowo was inaugurated last October, although he and Megawati had a closed-door meeting in April. It was also the first time Megawati – chairwoman of the country's largest political party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) – was sighted in public with Gibran after he and his father, former President Joko Widodo, were officially expelled from the PDI-P last December. They were at a ceremony to commemorate the birth of Indonesia's founding ideology, Pancasila, at the Pancasila Building in Central Jakarta. Prabowo served as the inspector of the ceremony while Megawati is the head of the steering committee at the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency. She was among the dignitaries seated in the front row along with former vice-presidents Try Sutrisno and Jusuf Kalla. Photos circulating of the event show Prabowo accompanying Megawati as they entered the building, with Gibran following behind. Megawati's PDI-P is the single largest party in parliament with nearly one-fifth of seats, but is still dwarfed by the Advance Indonesia Coalition, a super-coalition of parties aligned with Prabowo's Gerindra party. PDI-P is the only major party that has not joined the Advance Indonesia Coalition, also known as KIM Plus. Tensions have run high ever since Widodo did not back PDI-P's presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo in the February 2024 presidential election. Instead, Widodo was widely said by observers to have tacitly supported Prabowo, whose running mate was his oldest child Gibran. PDI-P secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto was named a suspect last December in the bribery of former General Elections Commission commissioner Wahyu Setiawan from 2017 to 2022. Following Hasto's arrest in February this year, Megawati ordered leaders of her party to withdraw from a brainstorming retreat convened by Prabowo. In a sign of thawing relations, however, Prabowo visited Megawati, a former president, at her residence on Jalan Teuku Umar on Apr 7. They were running mates in the 2009 presidential elections, with Prabowo the vice-presidential candidate in Megawati's failed bid to defeat incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. 'HEALING THE DEEP RIFT' Political analyst Hendri Satrio told Jakarta Globe that the visual cues on Monday of placing Megawati at the forefront were 'not just protocol' and carried a symbolic meaning. Another analyst told CNA the latest meeting on Monday reflects some effort by the administration to 'reconcile' with Megawati, 'a figure who represents the weight of the opposition force'. 'It is a first step to healing the deep rift that started when Jokowi backed his son Gibran for vice-president and Prabowo later for president instead of PDI-P's candidate Ganjar,' said Julia Lau, a senior fellow and coordinator of the Indonesia Studies Programme at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Widodo, Gibran and Widodo's son-in-law Bobby Nasution were officially expelled from PDI-P in December last year for 'openly going against the party's decision to back its presidential pair' and instead 'supporting the rival pair from the KIM'. The PDI-P had supported Widodo's rise in power from mayor of Surakarta to governor of Jakarta, then Indonesia's president for two terms from 2014 to 2024. PRABOWO SAYS MEGAWATI LOOKS 'THINNER' As Prabowo and Gibran greeted national figures at a waiting room prior to the ceremony, a light-hearted exchange was caught on camera between the president and Megawati. 'You look thinner now. That's amazing, your weight loss programme appears to be working,' Prabowo told Megawati, as quoted by Jakarta Post. Secretary-general of Prabowo's Gerindra party, Ahmad Muzani, who witnessed the interaction, described the atmosphere as 'warm, familial and full of laughter', Jakarta Globe reported. 'This is a beautiful image for Indonesia,' said Muzani, who is also the House Speaker and chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). 'On a day when we honour the foundation of our nation, our leaders showed unity, exchanged greetings and sat together in a spirit of togetherness.' Pancasila Day is a national holiday usually celebrated on Jun 1 in Indonesia, but Muzani said the official ceremony was held on Jun 2 to accommodate Megawati. 'We adjusted the schedule for her,' Muzani said, as quoted by national news agency Antara. Deputy Speaker of the MPR, Hidayat Nur Wahid, told Antara the meeting 'will be seen as a positive signal for unity and a commitment to upholding the values of Pancasila'. Indonesia's national ideology comprises five principles: Belief in one God, civilised humanity, national unity, democracy and social justice. The PDI-P described the meeting as a display of statesmanship and a reflection of the longstanding friendship between the two leaders that goes 'beyond political considerations'. 'Their relationship has been well-established for a long time, both in political contexts and especially on strategic matters related to the state ideology of Pancasila,' PDI-P chairman Said Abdullah told news outlet Kompas in a written response. Their rapport, he added, was also reflected in Prabowo's speech at the ceremony, where he made mention of Megawati before other national figures. 'It was clear that President Prabowo accorded great respect to Megawati, not only as Indonesia's fifth president but also as a Chair of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency Steering Committee,' Said said. Another interaction at the ceremony that drew attention was that between Gibran and former vice-president Try Sutrisno. Try Sutrisno was among the prominent figures who endorsed a statement in April urging a reshuffle of Prabowo's Cabinet and calling for Gibran's impeachment, citing the impropriety of a constitutional court decision that had paved the way for him to contest in the presidential election.
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Prabowo slams corrupt Indonesian officials, warns foreign NGOs
JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (pic) used a national holiday address to deliver a sharp warning to the country's political elite, urging underperforming public officials to step down or face removal. The president, speaking Monday (June 2) at a state ceremony to commemorate Indonesia's founding state ideology, Pancasila, blamed many of the country's struggles on self-serving leaders and others that fail to act in the nation's interest. "One of our biggest weaknesses is the mentality of the national elite,' Prabowo said in a fiery, half-hour speech in front of several hundred military personnel, police and cabinet members in Jakarta. "There are still too many abuses, too much corruption, too much manipulation - and it's happening inside the government.' Any official unable to fulfill their duties, he added, should "step down before I remove them.' He did not name specific targets or agencies in his remarks. The speech marks one of Prabowo's strongest public criticisms of Indonesia's bureaucracy since taking office in October. The president, a member of Indonesia's upper classes who married into the family of former dictator Suharto, has relied heavily on a familiar rhetorical theme: that a corrupt and ineffective elite is weakening national unity and squandering the country's vast resources. Less than a year into his term, Prabowo has positioned himself as a populist leader seeking to lift living standards across an archipelago of more than 280 million people. His administration is rolling out free meals for many students across the country, and last week unveiled plans to lower transport and power costs as part of efforts to boost consumer spending. His big-spending programme and sharp policy shifts raised concerns among investors earlier this year, though sentiment has since stabilised. Prabowo has also portrayed himself as tough on graft, a long-standing problem in South-East Asia's largest economy. Indonesia ranked 99 out of 180 countries in Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, and public confidence in oversight institutions is relatively low. The president also warned of foreign interference, another familiar refrain, accusing unnamed international actors of funding civil society groups to divide Indonesia under the guise of promoting democracy and human rights. "They've been doing this for decades,' he said. "With their money, they fund NGOs that pit us against one another. We must not be manipulated by any nation.' Prabowo delivered his speech at the Pancasila Building in central Jakarta - the same site where the country's founding president, Sukarno, first laid out what he envisioned as a unifying ideology for Indonesia's diverse population in June 1945. Just over two months later, Indonesia declared independence from Dutch colonial rule. Among those in attendance Monday was Sukarno's daughter, former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, leader of the main opposition party. It was the first time the two appeared together in public since Prabowo's election victory, though they had a closed-door meeting in April this year. - Bloomberg
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Clean up or be removed': Prabowo warns Indonesian officials as calls grow for cabinet reshuffle
JAKARTA, June 3 — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has warned cabinet ministers and government officials against corruption, vowing to remove those who fail to uphold clean governance amid growing calls for a cabinet reshuffle. Speaking at a ceremony marking the birth of the state ideology Pancasila on Monday, Prabowo said the country's biggest weakness lies in the mindset of its political elite and officials entrusted with public duties, according to a report published in The Jakarta Post today. 'There is still far too much misappropriation, far too much corruption and far too much manipulation taking place within the government itself,' he said. 'On behalf of the people, I warn all elements in every institution: immediately clean yourselves up, [or else] the state will take action.' The president said he would not tolerate disloyalty, law-breaking or constitutional violations, regardless of political ties, family connections or affiliations. 'The wealth of the nation must be enjoyed by all its people. All misappropriations and leakages must stop. Any official unable to carry out their duties should step down before I remove them,' he added. His remarks come amid mounting public pressure to reshuffle the cabinet, although no official announcements have been made. Prabowo delivered his speech at the Foreign Ministry's Pancasila building, where the event was also attended by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Also present was Megawati Soekarnoputri, head of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP) steering committee and leader of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
‘Clean up or be removed': Prabowo warns Indonesian officials as calls grow for cabinet reshuffle
JAKARTA, June 3 — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has warned cabinet ministers and government officials against corruption, vowing to remove those who fail to uphold clean governance amid growing calls for a cabinet reshuffle. Speaking at a ceremony marking the birth of the state ideology Pancasila on Monday, Prabowo said the country's biggest weakness lies in the mindset of its political elite and officials entrusted with public duties, according to a report published in The Jakarta Post today. 'There is still far too much misappropriation, far too much corruption and far too much manipulation taking place within the government itself,' he said. 'On behalf of the people, I warn all elements in every institution: immediately clean yourselves up, [or else] the state will take action.' The president said he would not tolerate disloyalty, law-breaking or constitutional violations, regardless of political ties, family connections or affiliations. 'The wealth of the nation must be enjoyed by all its people. All misappropriations and leakages must stop. Any official unable to carry out their duties should step down before I remove them,' he added. His remarks come amid mounting public pressure to reshuffle the cabinet, although no official announcements have been made. Prabowo delivered his speech at the Foreign Ministry's Pancasila building, where the event was also attended by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Also present was Megawati Soekarnoputri, head of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP) steering committee and leader of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Prabowo slams corrupt Indonesian officials, warns foreign NGOs
Mr Prabowo has also portrayed himself as tough on graft, a long-standing problem in South-east Asia's largest economy. PHOTO: AFP JAKARTA – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto used a national holiday address to deliver a sharp warning to the country's political elite, urging underperforming public officials to step down or face removal. The president, speaking on June 2 Monday at a state ceremony to commemorate Indonesia's founding state ideology, Pancasila, blamed many of the country's struggles on self-serving leaders and others that fail to act in the nation's interest. 'One of our biggest weaknesses is the mentality of the national elite,' Mr Prabowo said in a fiery, half-hour speech in front of several hundred military personnel, police and Cabinet members in Jakarta. 'There are still too many abuses, too much corruption, too much manipulation – and it's happening inside the government.' Any official unable to fulfil their duties, he added, should 'step down before I remove them.' He did not name specific targets or agencies in his remarks. The speech marks one of Mr Prabowo's strongest public criticisms of Indonesia's bureaucracy since taking office in October. The president, a member of Indonesia's upper classes who married into the family of former dictator Suharto, has relied heavily on a familiar rhetorical theme: that a corrupt and ineffective elite is weakening national unity and squandering the country's vast resources. Less than a year into his term, Mr Prabowo has positioned himself as a populist leader seeking to lift living standards across an archipelago of more than 280 million people. His administration is rolling out free meals for many students across the country, and last week unveiled plans to lower transport and power costs as part of efforts to boost consumer spending. His big-spending programme and sharp policy shifts raised concerns among investors earlier in 2025, though sentiment has since stabilised. Mr Prabowo has also portrayed himself as tough on graft, a long-standing problem in South-east Asia's largest economy. Indonesia ranked 99 out of 180 countries in Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, and public confidence in oversight institutions is relatively low. The president also warned of foreign interference, another familiar refrain, accusing unnamed international actors of funding civil society groups to divide Indonesia under the guise of promoting democracy and human rights. 'They've been doing this for decades,' he said. 'With their money, they fund NGOs that pit us against one another. We must not be manipulated by any nation.' Mr Prabowo delivered his speech at the Pancasila Building in central Jakarta – the same site where the country's founding president, Sukarno, first laid out what he envisioned as a unifying ideology for Indonesia's diverse population in June 1945. Just over two months later, Indonesia declared independence from Dutch colonial rule. Among those in attendance on June 2 was Sukarno's daughter, former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, leader of the main opposition party. It was the first time the two appeared together in public since Mr Prabowo's election victory, though they had a closed-door meeting in April 2025. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
