Outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo Appoints New Cabinet Ministers Tied to Successor Prabowo Subianto

Outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, appointed new cabinet ministers on Monday with close ties to his successor, Prabowo Subianto. The move, made two months before Jokowi’s departure from office, is seen as an effort to ensure a smooth transition of power and maintain influence after a decade in charge.

Prabowo, currently serving as Defense Minister, won the February presidential election by a significant margin, largely attributed to Jokowi’s popularity and political backing. This support has been interpreted as a quid pro quo, with Jokowi seeking to preserve his legacy and influence in the new administration.

In the cabinet reshuffle, Jokowi appointed Bahlil Lahadalia, the current Investment Minister, as the new Energy Minister. Bahlil is expected to focus on incentivizing the reactivation of idle energy wells and reversing the decline in Indonesia’s crude oil output. Rosan Roeslani, a former ambassador to the United States, will take over as the new Investment Minister.

Jokowi also appointed Dadan Hindayana, a professor at Bogor Agricultural University, to lead the newly established National Nutrition Agency. This agency will oversee Prabowo’s flagship free school meals program, which is set to cost 71 trillion rupiah ($4.56 billion) in its first year and is scheduled to launch on January 2 next year. Additionally, Hasan Nasbi, Prabowo’s spokesperson, was named head of the presidential communications body.

Ari Dwipayana, a presidential palace official, stated that these changes are necessary to ensure a smooth and effective transition of government. The appointments come at a time when Prabowo has been consolidating power ahead of his presidency, including securing a parliamentary majority with support from parties that previously backed his election rival.

Prabowo, who lost two previous presidential elections to Jokowi, has been working to bolster his international profile with visits to Russia, Qatar, Japan, China, and most recently, Australia.

Political analyst Ujang Komarudin from Al Azhar Indonesia University described the appointments as “accommodation politics,” suggesting that Jokowi’s loyalists could be given positions in Prabowo’s cabinet once he takes office. Jokowi’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, will serve as vice president after playing a key role as Prabowo’s running mate. It remains unclear what role, if any, Jokowi will play in Indonesia’s future political landscape after completing his two terms as president.