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Prabowo Lines up His Massive Cabinet
Mixed messages emerge of ramrod discipline and appointive overkill
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By: Ainur Rohmah
Prabowo’s army-style retreat fuels debate on active-duty troops serving in govt
Images of newly inducted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto wearing jungle-green camouflage fatigues and leading cabinet members in drills has raised concern over whether he is reviving the military’s “dual function” role in government, as it was under dictator Suharto.
Just days after the former army special forces commander took office, the president and similarly dressed members of Team Prabowo were seen marching in formation and pounding the parade ground with their combat boots, during a three-day retreat at a military academy in Central Java. The retreat was touted as a team-building exercise but took place amid plans to revise a law governing the nation’s armed forces.
Analysts said Prabowo’s decision to fly ministers on a C-130 Hercules aircraft, have them stay in barracks and wear army uniforms hints at bringing the military back into a central role in government.
“The retreat symbolizes that Prabowo’s regime is prioritizing a militaristic mindset in governing,” Al Araf, a military analyst and human rights advocate at Centra Initiative, told BenarNews.
Prabowo, Suharto’s former son-in-law, entered office on Oct. 20 with his past military record blemished by allegations that he had committed human rights abuses as an army commander.
If newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto’s intention was to get Indonesia’s attention right off the bat, it was certainly signaled by the arrest last week of the popular former Trade Minister Thomas Trikasih Lembong, considered one of the most efficient members of the previous administration, in a corruption case related to sugar imports at the Ministry of Trade between 2015 and 2016.
Hasto Kristiyanto, the Secretary General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), called the allegations shocking and expressed suspicion of intervention in the case. Hasto also called attention to the sudden appointment of Bahlil Lahadalia, the newly appointed energy minister, as leader of Golkar, the country’s second-biggest party, believed to have been engineered to preserve the interests of outgoing President Joko Widodo.
Prabowo’s onetime military links to Suharto were elicited last week when he got the second-largest cabinet in Indonesia’s democratic history into military fatigues and black combat boots and stood them at attention on a military academy parade ground in Central Java. The military drill is an obvious departure from recent Indonesian history and if anything a throwback to the days when he was the red-beret-wearing commanding general of Kopassus, Indonesia’s army special forces unit, from which he was fired in 1998 for human rights abuses. Prabowo later served as defense minister in the cabinet of President Joko Widodo.
My Comments :
Indonesia is pretty much a Third World country. Like Malaysia. This means rule of law, institutional systems (justice system, law enforcement), policy implementation depends a lot on the "flavour of the day". Also known as the "gomen of the day".
The administration of the country depends almost 100% on the character of the fellow holding the reins of power. If the fellow in charge is ex-military, likes to wear military boots and insists that a civilian Cabinet (which is critical in the concept of separation of powers) wear army fatigues and join him on the parade ground then "they will be following orders". In the military if you do not follow orders you can be court martialled. Or worse.
Imagine this - the future of an entire country with millions of people depends on the personal characteristics of the fellow who sits in the top job. Ex-military, ex-trapdoor whatever. It is just random.
Lets see what happens to Indonesia.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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