Outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday appointed new cabinet ministers with close ties to his successor Prabowo Subianto, in a move aimed at smoothing the transition of power two months ahead of his departure.
Defense Minister Prabowo won the February election by a massive margin with the help of Widodo’s huge popularity and political clout, in what is widely interpreted as a quid-pro-quo that will ensure the outgoing leader maintains influence after a decade in charge.
Jokowi, as the president is widely known, appointed new ministers for energy, investment and law, as well as the heads of three agencies, with most of the new appointments close to Prabowo, having supported his candidacy or campaigned for him.
Bahlil Lahadalia, the investment minister, will move to the post of energy minister, while former ambassador to the United States Rosan Roeslani will be the new investment minister.
Bahlil said he would prioritize working on incentives to promote efforts to reactivate idle energy wells and reverse the decline in Indonesia’s crude oil output.
Jokowi also named Dadan Hindayana, a professor at Bogor Agricultural University, to head the newly created National Nutrition Agency and oversee Prabowo’s signature free school meals program, which will cost $4.56 billion in its first year.
Dadan, a member of Prabowo’s campaign teams, was quoted telling local media the meals program would start on Jan. 2 next year.
Jokowi also appointed Prabowo’s spokesperson Hasan Nasbi as head of the presidential communications body.
The changes “are needed to prepare and support the government transition so it works well, smooth, and effectively,” said Ari Dwipayana, a presidential palace official, in a statement.
The appointments come during a transition period in which Prabowo has been racing to consolidate power ahead of his presidency, including months of talks that led to him securing a parliamentary majority late last week, with support from parties that had backed his election rival.
Prabowo, 72, a former rival who lost two presidential elections to Jokowi, has also been seeking to boost his profile overseas, with trips to Russia, Qatar, Japan and China since his victory. On Monday, he was in Australia.
Ujang Komarudin, a politics expert at Al-Azhar Indonesia University, said the appointments announced on Monday were “accommodation politics” that could see Jokowi’s loyalists given posts in Prabowo’s cabinet once he takes office.
Jokowi’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, will be vice president, after playing a key role in Prabowo’s campaign as his running mate. It is unclear what future role, if any, Jokowi might play in Indonesia having served the maximum two terms allowed as president.
