Indonesia under Prabowo – a volatile neighbour   

The Iran War, Donald Trump, and Israel’s shenanigans have overshadowed news from our fallible neighbor. Duncan Graham Reports from Indonesia.

For all its distortions, 74-year-old Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo knows what death is like. As a former Indonesian army general in charge of special forces fighting a civil war against jungle rebels, he must have seen enough punctured corpses to satisfy his ruthlessness.

He is now in the club of aggrieved world leaders seeking attention but struggling for status. In order to curry favor with Trump and participate in his disappearance. Peace Board, stood at the edge of a photo op and offered 8,000 soldiers and a US$1 billion entry fee for the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza.

This furious Indonesia’s largest religious organisations, human rights NGOs and academics who feel they deserve to have a say.

There is an opinion poll shown Most Indonesians are against BOP. Likewise, Jakarta Post: “Indonesia’s membership in pro-Israel organization Peace Board It is by no means a mastery of diplomacy; “This is a billion-dollar betrayal of the Palestinian cause.”

Sunni and Shia

After all, Pakistan’s hybrid democracy (The military approves selected parties) emerged as a peacemaker. Approximately 20 million Shiite Muslims live in the East Asian country, and the majority are Iranian believers. The sect is banned in Indonesia.

Prabowo tried to save face by saying that he never promised to pay the participation fee and that he would do so. retreat The Board was asked “if it does not benefit the Palestinians in line with Indonesia’s national interests.”

Prabowo is not a big-picture economist. He promised in the election campaign Makan Bergizi Free – Free school meals for 83 million children – good policy but also cost-effective. We now know that the annual bill will exceed US$24.5 billion.

According to some reports, this month (April) the budget will be cut by 10%, reducing six servings to five per week. Other reports He claims the changes will affect equipment such as computers and motorcycles and leave full plates.

The government says everything is fine economically goodbut playing Prabowo’s Victory March, aka MBG, suggests otherwise.

Oil is not a big problem

So far there has been very little pain at the pump. Crude oil comes from the Strait of Hormuz 20-25% of total imports – the rest are from Nigeria and the USA.

Indonesia nationalized its fuel industry in the mid-1950s, so only Pertamina products are available at the pumps of the same name. The most popular blend, Pertamax, costs around R13,000 per liter in major cities – AU$1.20.

The price of diesel, known as DEX, is around AUD 1.24. Subsidized biodiesel is half that price, though only for registered trucks.

Price shocks are yet to come

The big price shocks are yet to come. Pertamina is the country’s largest company and has been riddled with scandals at times.

The demand is huge. Scuttlebutt predicts fuel prices will triple, but there is no evidence of this. Yes about 140 million motorcycles and 20 million cars in the Republic.

EVs are rare.

If things go bad, be careful. Indonesian consumers will not just whine about magazines and return to football and betting. Social inequality is increasing anxietyUniversity academics say people are getting angry.

The 285 million people of the archipelago need the leadership of a charismatic sage. When Prabowo speaks in public, to warnUnnamed foreign interests threatening the nation:

“Indonesians are not stupid. We know what is happening. We know who is financing movements that aim to make fun of us. They are afraid of our power and prosperity.”

This is a dangerous thing.

While it appeals to local monochromatic thinkers, it unsettles foreign investors with broader palettes.

Indonesia’s culture of corruption includes Hiring the mob and stirring up the crowd.

Great personality and protest movement

The eighth president and his military friends from the last century view personality as synonymous with strutting and shouting. This myth was promoted by a docile media afraid of being indicted. betrayal Should the criticism continue?

In one of his favorite photographs, he is seen riding a uniformed thoroughbred on his farm; It’s very similar to how Italian fascist leader Mussolini criticized his supporters in the 1930s.

Since Prabowo’s inauguration in October 2024, there have been five mass protests in Indonesia, which have meant heavy street firebombing. These were suppressed by force, leading to the deaths of at least ten people and attacks on public and private buildings.

became 1,240 arrests in Jakarta; some are still being processed. compasses allegations 706 people became political prisoners.

ANU academic Dr. Ed Aspinall written: “Years of patronage politics have created an ever-widening gap between the political world of the ruling elites who inhabit Indonesia’s democratic institutions and the political world of young protesters whose ancestors played a pivotal role in establishing those institutions.”

Political loyalty and corruption

In a bloodless domestic political coup, Prabowo bought the support of more than 80% of Parliament, seduced by promises of involvement in the government and gaining extra income and prestige.

making the party of 14 Developed Indonesia Coalition moving towards a permanent political alliance menu. The opposition would then be left to academics and brave NGOs. Last month a prominent activist bouncing acid on the way home

It is believed that soldiers were responsible, on the orders of an unnamed controller.

Prabowo presides over a flawed democracy riddled with corruption. The disease is known, its treatment is understood, but there is no political energy for change.

Shows off when the position requires assertion through presence. He is a misogynist: There are only five women in the 53-member ministry. Her only son is single and lives in Europe as a fashion designer.

The man, who has been divorced for 28 years, seems to prefer being with macho men, even though he is no longer in their league. He is very short and fat, looking more like the elderly Southeast Asian Kim Jong-Un.

Most Indonesian men die before They reach the age of 70, so they overcome challenges by getting the best medical care and having solid genes.

Flashback

His father, Soemitro, made it to 83, and his grandfather, Margono, a year longer, so he may have had time to gain enough fame to deserve a place in the pantheon of world leaders.

Or to be overthrown by an angry population that rejects the policies of returning to the past.

Against the strong will of voters with memories of the last century Orde Baru (New Order), Soeharto, who was once his father-in-law National Hero. (He passed away in 2008 at the age of 86.)

A. Time cover story explained Soeharto’s 32-year rule is seen as “a period of intense authoritarianism characterized by the centralization of power”. Magazine “Suharto Inc.” put forward his claim. He stole $15 billion in public funds.

The family sued but ultimately lost. One expression On the website of the Supreme Court of Appeals, Judge Hatta Ali wrote: “The story Time “The magazine is not acting unlawfully as it still complies with the press code of conduct.”

A more prudent relative than the current president would quietly avoid reviving the past, which human rights researcher Andreas Harsono describes as: to contain:

“Media censorship, strict restrictions on freedom of association and assembly, a highly politicized and controlled judiciary, widespread torture, attacks on minority rights, massacres of alleged communistsand numerous war crimes committed in East Timor, Aceh, West Papua and the Moluccan islands.

Poor human rights record

“The National Hero sends a deeply disturbing message to Indonesians and the rest of the world. While a general under Soeharto’s command, Prabowo was involved in serious human rights abuses and war crimes and Dismissed from Indonesian army in 1998 for kidnapping student activists.”

He fled into exile in Jordan, and his ambitions appeared to be in vain. He is currently at the Jakarta Palace, but the rule errors are increasing and becoming alarming.

Everything seems safe and calm right now. Next week may be different. Australian holidaymakers should read Indonesian events closely before buying rupiah if they can find such stories in Australian media.

Better translate online copy from: daily compasses and weekly Tempo.

President Prabowo drifts rightward in Indonesia as he channels Donald Trump