jfid – Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia’s defense minister and two-time presidential contender, is the frontrunner for the national election scheduled for February 2024.
A longtime figure in Indonesian politics, the former special forces commander and ex-son-in-law of the late dictator Suharto has long been known for his checkered past, authoritarian impulses, and populist outbursts.
So infamous was his reputation that he was banned from entering the United States in 2000.
Yet, as analysts inside and out of Indonesia have noted, Prabowo has been working hard to “refashion” his domestic and international image – particularly after losing two consecutive presidential elections to current President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in 2014 and 2019, and his subsequent appointment to lead the Ministry of Defense in 2019.
How should we read Prabowo’s apparent transformation, from authoritarian and populist pariah to affable party elder and staunch defender of policy continuity? Understanding this political transformation, with all its complexities and caveats, is crucial to comprehending Indonesia’s most probable future trajectory.
