In the vibrant city of Jakarta, an affluent former military general, intricately connected to both the departing beloved president and the autocratic past of Indonesia, appears poised to ascend to the presidency. Unofficial tallies indicate a decisive lead for Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto in the initial round of voting.
Prabowo Subianto positioned himself as the rightful successor to the immensely popular President Joko Widodo, pledging to perpetuate the agenda of modernization that catapulted Indonesia into the echelons of middle-income nations. Expressing humility in his victory speech broadcasted nationally from a sports stadium, he cautioned against arrogance and emphasized the triumph as one for all Indonesians.
Yet, Subianto’s impending presidency is shrouded in lingering concerns about the environmental and societal toll of growth driven by resource extraction, as well as his associations with torture, disappearances, and human rights violations during the waning years of the authoritarian Suharto regime, where he served as a lieutenant general.
A former rival turned ally, Subianto, who previously contested and lost two presidential races against Widodo, embraced the popular leader, even selecting Widodo’s son as his running mate. This choice, however, clashed with constitutional age limits, raising worries among activists about the emergence of a political dynasty in Indonesia’s 25-year-old democracy.
Although Subianto’s victory is pending official confirmation, with rivals yet to concede and official results awaiting tabulation for up to a month, preliminary counts from election night portray him securing over 55% of the vote in a three-way contest. These quick counts, conducted by polling agencies and based on extensive ballot samples nationwide, have proven accurate in past elections.
Born in 1951 into one of Indonesia’s influential families, Subianto, the third of four siblings, hails from a lineage marked by political prominence. His father, Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, was a key political figure serving under Presidents Sukarno and Suharto. Subianto’s childhood was spent overseas, fostering proficiency in French, German, English, and Dutch.
Returning to Indonesia under General Suharto’s regime in 1967, Subianto enrolled in the Military Academy in 1970, graduating in 1974 and serving in the military for nearly thirty years. Joining the Indonesian National Army Special Force, Kopassus, in 1976, Subianto faced allegations of human rights violations during Indonesia’s occupation of Timor-Leste in the 1980s and 90s, which he has consistently denied.
Banned from traveling to the US for years due to these allegations, the ban was lifted in 2020, allowing him to visit as Indonesia’s defense minister. In 1983, he married Suharto’s daughter, Siti Hediati Hariyadi.
Further accusations of human rights abuses led to Subianto’s expulsion from the military in 1998, following the kidnapping and torture of political opponents by Kopassus soldiers. Despite never facing trial, Subianto went into self-imposed exile in Jordan in 1998, returning in 2008 to co-found the Gerinda Party. He ran for the presidency twice, eventually accepting the defense minister position from Widodo in 2019 for the sake of unity.
Subianto is committed to continuing Widodo’s economic development initiatives, leveraging Indonesia’s vast reserves of nickel, coal, oil, and gas. This includes the ambitious USD 30 billion project to build a new capital city named Nusantara. Allegations of his family benefiting from the project have been denied.
With business ties spanning palm oil, coal, gas, mining, agriculture, and fisheries, Subianto faces international scrutiny on human rights issues but is expected to maintain Indonesia’s pragmatic approach to power politics. Under Widodo, the country strengthened defense ties with the US while seeking Chinese investments.
In a surprising turn, former rivals subtly aligned, with Subianto selecting Widodo’s son, 36-year-old Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his vice-presidential running mate. This unconventional move, challenged by age limits, marks the potential establishment of the Jokowi political dynasty at the highest levels of Indonesian government.
Despite Subianto’s historical ties with hard-line Islamists, his 2024 election campaign projected a softer image resonating with Indonesia’s substantial youth population. Videos of him dancing on stage and digitally rendered ads depicting him roller-skating through Jakarta aimed to connect with the younger demographic.
In his victory speech, Subianto declared a commitment to govern for all Indonesians, transcending tribal, ethnic, racial, religious, and social boundaries. The inauguration of Subianto signals a complex political landscape, intertwining the nation’s past, present, and an uncertain future.