JAKARTA - Barely 50 days into his presidency, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s administration is already grappling with gaffes involving high-profile appointees, which some say cast an early shadow on his governance.
Observers, however, remain divided as to whether these incidents have far-reaching implications. Some predict such missteps from Indonesia’s fledgling government will increase due to the administration’s inexperience in managing public expectations, while others believe these are inevitable growing pains for any new set of leaders.
On Dec 6, Presidential Special Envoy for Religious Harmony and Religious Facility Development Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman made headlines for resigning from his position, following public outrage after he mocked an iced tea seller.
During a public prayer event in Central Java on Nov 20, Mr Miftah, or Gus Miftah as he is known to his followers, ridiculed the man who was selling tea in the crowd, telling him to sell his wares in another area of the outdoor venue and calling him “goblok”, which means “stupid”.
The incident went viral on social media and internationally in the weeks before Mr Miftah’s resignation. Netizens have slammed his remarks, seen as demeaning to those trying to earn a living in the country.
Politicians got involved. The Gerindra party, which Mr Prabowo co-founded and is currently chairman of, condemned the preacher’s comments, and even Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim chimed in.
“It is odd that someone who knows the religion, preaches on Islam could make insulting comments like that,” said Datuk Seri Anwar on Dec 5.
Celebrity preacher Gus Miftah resigns as special envoy after recent uproar over him calling street vendor "stupid".PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN
Prior to that, in October, Villages and Regional Development Minister Yandri Susanto was criticised for using his ministry’s letterhead to invite local leaders in Banten to an event commemorating his mother’s death anniversary.
The minister blamed the lapse in judgment on his inexperience, and said that when his staff was preparing the invitations, he was too busy to notice the letterhead.
“I am still new to being a minister. I am still learning,” he said on Oct 23, according to news portal Bisnis Indonesia.
The two episodes are seen by some as reflective of weak processes when Mr Prabowo was forming his Cabinet, said Dr Irman G. Lanti from the Padjadjaran University in Indonesia.
“It is doubtful that he did a careful and thorough vetting of his appointees. This has resulted in the various figures with different personalities joining his cabinet,” said Dr Irman.
It is likely that we have not heard the last of such incidents from Mr Prabowo’s Cabinet, Dr Irman added, noting the diverse professional backgrounds and bureaucratic experience of its members.
Mr Made Supriatma, an ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute visiting fellow, said that both these episodes with Mr Miftah and Mr Yandri have similarities, being missteps from newbie politicians who were unsure of their new positions.
“There will always be things like this,” said Mr Made, adding that outside of these two incidents, things have been relatively stable for Mr Prabowo’s Cabinet.
He noted how the team of leaders continued to function despite the whirlwind diplomacy tour that the President undertook in November, where he visited several countries including China, the United States and the United Kingdom over 16 days.
This handout picture taken and released on October 26, 2024 by the Indonesian Presidential Palace shows Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto (C) and ministers from his cabinet taking part in a marching drill during a retreat at the military academy in Magelang, Central Java. (Photo by Handout / INDONESIAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / INDONESIAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
Just days after swearing them in, Mr Prabowo (centre), a former Defence Minister, sent his Cabinet members to a military training boot camp.PHOTO: AFP
When asked what other big challenges await the Prabowo administration, Dr Irman said that Mr Prabowo will have to figure out how to get the Cabinet members from various socio-political backgrounds to share his common vision.
Efforts to do so are already under way. Just days after swearing them in, Mr Prabowo, a former Defence Minister, sent his Cabinet members to a military training boot camp, where the leaders spent time bonding and attending briefings that outlined his vision.
But such efforts can only go so far, and the president might need to take bigger steps to ensure he can get his team to perform, said Dr Irman.
He added: “It is not too far-fetched to imagine that Prabowo will have to reshuffle the Cabinet before long or else he will be busy making sure that his Cabinet will be an asset rather than a liability.”
This is especially important because Mr Prabowo has not had a policy that has emerged as a “quick win”, said Mr Made.
The much-hyped free lunch plan, which was touted as such a win, has begun to take shape but there still has been no concrete plans for mass implementation, he added.
The plan, a cornerstone in Mr Prabowo’s campaign in the lead-up to 2024’s Feb 20 elections, promised to address malnutrition by providing free meals to all children and pregnant women and aims to reach more than 80 million people by 2029.
“Prabowo needs something that he can inaugurate and claim as his success in 100 days of government, which is getting closer and falls on Jan 20, 2025,” said Mr Made.
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Thanks for sharing!