Indonesia’s new president announces Cabinet. It’s the largest in the country’s history

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced his government late Sunday, hours after his inauguration.

The lineup of 109 ministers, deputy ministers and heads of national agencies was the largest in the country’s history, and was dubbed the “Red and White Council,” in reference to the colors of the Indonesian national flag.

Subianto became the eighth president of Southeast Asia’s largest economy on Sunday.

The cabinet of Subianto’s predecessor, Joko Widodo, included 34 ministers and heads of government agencies.

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Subianto had previously said he needed a strong administration, although analysts said his “fat” government would lead to a bloated bureaucracy.

“I want to form a strong government that will unite our multicultural society and diverse political interests,” Subianto said before inviting more than 100 people for interviews at his residence last week. “It should be a grand coalition, and some will say my government is fat.”

The cabinet includes politicians from a seven-party coalition who supported his victory in the February election, and figures allied with Widodo’s government, who were reappointed to continue their positions under Subianto. Analysts said the move was a political reward for Widodo for the latter’s implicit support in the elections.

Subianto was sworn in with his new deputy, 37-year-old former Surakarta mayor, Gibran Rakabuming Raka. He chose Raka, who is Widodo’s son, as his running mate, with Widodo preferring Subianto over his former party’s candidate. Former rivals have become tacit allies, even though Indonesian presidents do not usually endorse the candidates.

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Subianto was a long-time rival of Widodo, against whom he ran twice for president and refused to accept defeat on both occasions, in 2014 and 2019.

But Widodo appointed Subianto defense minister after his re-election, paving the way for a coalition despite rival political parties. During the election campaign, Subianto ran as the outgoing president’s heir apparent, pledging to continue signature policies such as building a new multibillion-dollar capital and imposing restrictions on the export of raw materials aimed at boosting local industry.

With the support of Widodo, Subianto achieved a landslide victory in the direct presidential elections that took place last February based on promises of policy continuity.

Subianto reappointed nearly half of Widodo’s cabinet, including Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, making her the first person to hold the ministry under three different presidents.

Indrawati, 62, who served as executive director of the International Monetary Fund and managing director of the World Bank, is one of Indonesia’s longest-serving finance ministers, having held the position for long terms under Presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko Widodo.

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She has gained great respect in international circles, particularly for her reforms of Indonesia’s chaotic tax system and her role in guiding Indonesia through the global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have regularly consulted with each other to discuss strategies to strengthen the Ministry of Finance and state finances to support his programmes,” Indrawati told reporters after his meeting with Subianto last week.

Other ministers in Widodo’s government include Interior Minister Tito Karnavian, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hassan, Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Eric Thohir.

Subianto announced an ambitious goal of increasing annual economic growth to 8% by the end of his five-year term, and embarking on an ambitious spending programme, including increasing defense spending, increasing civil servant salaries, and a program to boost defense spending. Providing free meals to 83 million children.

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