Dismissed from the military amid speculation of rights abuses, exiled in Jordan and banned from traveling to the US on account of his alleged dark past, Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto is now in pole position to be the nation’s next leader.
The two-time presidential loser on Sunday announced that he would contest the post for a third time in the February election, with Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s son as his running mate.
“We are ready to move forward for Indonesia,” Prabowo told a news conference.
Photo: AP
The former special forces commander has undergone a remarkable transformation since being appointed defense minister in 2019, cultivating a persona that is more charismatic statesman than fiery, pious nationalist, analysts say.
The former son-in-law of late Indonesian president Suharto, Prabowo is accused of involvement in the kidnapping of student activists in 1998 and rights abuses in Papua province and East Timor. The allegations are unproven, and Prabowo has always denied any responsibility.
As the 72-year-old gears up for the election campaign, the numbers suggest his rebranding is working.
An opinion poll published by Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI) this month showed Prabowo ahead of his two opponents with 34 percent support.
In a two-way race against his closest competitor, former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, he had an 11-point lead.
“His chance at winning is now the strongest,” LSI executive director Djayadi Hanan said. “Part of the reason for that is the president’s endorsement.”
Unable to run after serving the maximum two terms, Widodo has signaled hat he backs his once bitter enemy. Widodo defeated Prabowo in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
With his 36-year-old son as a possible vice president, Widodo is seeking to retain some influence in government, analysts say.
By appointing Prabowo to his Cabinet in 2019, Widodo provided the former general with a level of validation and visibility he previously lacked, such as seeing his de facto travel ban to the US erased in 2020 when he visited the Pentagon.
As minister, Prabowo has embarked on an ambitious upgrade of the country’s aging military hardware, signing defense deals in Europe, the US and Middle East, with red carpets rolled out for him from Paris to Beijing.
To his almost 6 million Instagram followers, Prabowo’s profile is regularly updated with snaps from his day job, interspersed with offerings of his cats, artistic black and white portraits, and vintage family photographs of his parents and childhood
“Prabowo’s team is clearly portraying Prabowo in a ‘softer’ way in an effort to win over undecided voters. It’s a change from previous campaigns where we’ve seen nationalist populist Prabowo, and pro-Islamist Prabowo,” said Ross Tapsell, a researcher at the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific.
As the campaign heats up, the question is whether the approach continues.
“In 2019, he started quite politely and calmly, and by the end he was claiming the election was rigged,” Tapsell added.
In another sign of the image makeover, in a recent television interview with journalist Najwa Shihab, the former general, known for his legendary temper, came across as humorous and avuncular.
Referring to his time as a soldier Prabowo said: “Maybe the perception of me was that I was tough, scary. I am not scary now, right?” he said.
“He obviously has very savvy PR people who have helped to shape his image. He has been much more restrained in direct interviews and has avoided open press conferences,” said Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch.
With more than 100 million Indonesians under the age of 40 registered in next February’s polls, all candidates are vying for the millennial vote.
Many are too young to know the details of the accusations leveled against Prabowo, which he says are not widely discussed in the Indonesian media anymore, Harsono said.
“The younger generation does not know much about what Prabowo did in Jakarta, East Timor, Papua,” he said. “He has never been held accountable.”
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