Former general Prabowo Subianto was sworn in as Indonesia’s president and announced the formation of the country’s largest cabinet since the 1960s.
The 73-year-old president, who has been dogged by decades of accusations of human rights abuses, took office on Sunday as the country’s eighth president.
This marks the end of an era Former leader Joko WidodoJokowi, known locally as Jokowi, has presided over a decade of economic growth and infrastructure development.
Prabowo twice failed to win the presidency but finally climbed to the top job after defeating two rivals in February’s election, winning more than 58% of the vote.
In his inauguration speech on Sunday, Prabowo vowed to eradicate corruption and poverty and said he would be a president for all Indonesians.
“We must always recognize that a free country is a place where people are free,” the president said in a fiery speech that lasted nearly an hour.
“They must be freed from fear, poverty, hunger, ignorance, oppression and pain.”
He was sworn in along with his running mate, Jokowi’s eldest son, Jibrran Raqabmin Raqqa.
Late on Sunday, Prabowo appointed 48 ministers and 58 deputy ministers, compared with 34 ministers and 30 deputy ministers under Jokowi.
These include the reappointments of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Chief Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto, a sign of policy continuity in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
“Amid global dynamics and turmoil, the challenges, obstacles and threats faced by Indonesia are not light. [matters]”, Prabowo said.
Political scientist Burhanuddin Mutadi told Reuters the reappointment showed Prabowo “does not want to take further risks”.
“That’s why he picked key people under Jokowi,” he said.
Some observers worry that the expanded cabinet will be ineffective. Public policy scholar Lina Miftahul Jannah told BBC Indonesian that a “bloated cabinet” could lead to a lengthy and complex bureaucracy.
Reorganizing the different ministries will also consume significant resources. “It’s very expensive because it not only costs money but also energy,” she said.
The cabinet will be sworn in later Monday.
They will kick off the government with a three-day retreat at a military academy in central Java.
Reuters quoted Migration Protection Minister Abdul Kader Kadin as saying that ministers and their deputies would sleep in tents and that the retreat was aimed at strengthening cabinet cohesion and helping members understand Prabowo’s plans. Vision.
Additional reporting from BBC Indonesian
