Prabowo takes office as Indonesia president

(UPDATE) JAKARTA — Former general Prabowo Subianto was sworn in Sunday as president of Indonesia, seeking a more prominent position on the global stage for the world’s fourth most populous nation.

The 73-year-old fiery nationalist — accused of rights abuses during his time in the military — took the oath at parliament to officially succeed outgoing leader Joko Widodo.

“I swear that I will fulfill the duties of the president of the Republic of Indonesia as best as possible and as fair as possible,” he said.

Prabowo has committed himself to Indonesia’s non-aligned foreign policy but has signaled that he will be bolder on the world stage.

He made China his first foreign visit after his election eight months ago before embarking on trips to a dozen other countries, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Australia, where he signed a key security deal.

He will also inherit Southeast Asia’s largest economy and the world’s largest nickel reserves, taking lead of a country of 280 million where about half are below the age of 30.

Prabowo won by a landslide in the first round of the February vote, helped by the support of his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the 37-year-old son of Widodo, and bold campaign pledges, including a $28 billion free meal plan for children.

The former defense minister, dressed in traditional attire, gave a bombastic speech to lawmakers who applauded him and chanted his name.

“We will lead the Indonesian government… by prioritizing the interests of all Indonesian people, including those who did not vote for us,” he said.

He spoke about presiding over a “peaceful democracy,” sticking to a “good neighbor” policy and said there was still too much corruption “at all levels.”

Marcos in attendance

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was among the high-profile guests who attended the inauguration of Prabowo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka on Sunday.

Accompanied by first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, the chief executive arrived in Jakarta last Saturday evening and is expected to be back in Manila early Monday morning.

Among the leaders who were present in the ceremony were Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

“The attendance of President Marcos and the First Lady at the inauguration of the Indonesian President and Vice President reaffirms the deep and enduring friendship between the two nations, founded on close people-to-people ties,” the Presidential Communications Office earlier said.

In a social media post, Marcos said Indonesia is one of the Philippines’ longstanding partners and closest friends in the Southeast Asian region.

“I reaffirm our nation’s desire to further strengthen our bilateral ties with Indonesia on this momentous occasion and in lieu of our diplomatic relations’ 75th anniversary in November,” he said.

Marcos was invited by Prabowo’s predecessor, Joko Widodo, whose eldest son, Gibran, became Indonesia’s youngest vice president.

Prabowo visited Manila last month and met with Marcos at Malacañang Palace, where they affirmed their vision for their nations’ greater ties.

The Philippines and Indonesia are among the founding nations of the Association of Southeast Nations.

Several dozen diplomats attended Prabowo’s inauguration, including British Foreign Minister David Lammy and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

Tens of thousands lined the streets of Jakarta as Prabowo became Indonesia’s eighth leader since the country achieved independence from Dutch colonial rule in 1945.

While supporters hailed his ascent to the presidency, critics have pointed to a checkered past.

NGOs and his former military bosses accuse Prabowo of ordering the abduction of democracy activists at the end of dictator Suharto’s rule in the late 1990s.

According to the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence, or Kontras, 23 activists were kidnapped between 1997 and 1998.

Nine were found alive, one was found dead, and 13 are still missing.

Prabowo was discharged from the military over the abductions but denied the allegations and was never charged.

The United States once refused to give Prabowo a visa because of his rights record, and he was also reportedly included on a blacklist in Australia for a while.

Prabowo has also been accused of involvement in military crimes in East Timor (Timor-Leste) when it was under Indonesian occupation.

Grandfatherly A new image won over younger voters in the last election, with Prabowo remodeling himself as a grandfatherly figure.

He shared images of his cats with his 6 million Instagram followers, while videos of him dancing went viral and painted him as the everyman candidate.

The decision to recruit Gibran as his running mate also proved popular but courted controversy after rules were changed to lower the age for candidates.

Gibran’s popularity is tied to his father, who took Indonesia out of the Covid-19 pandemic relatively unscathed and back to 5 percent growth.