In the first of a three-part series on Mr Prabowo Subianto’s upcoming presidency, CNA looks at how much influence the military would have under the four-star general’s leadership.
JAYAPURA, Papua: Dozens of military and police personnel lined up neatly, lifting a 1km-long red-white Indonesia n national flag above their heads at the border post between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea in Jayapura city.After all, it was a special day - Indonesia ’s Independence Day which falls on Aug 17 - and they wanted to raise the national flag as high as possible to display their national pride.
Under Mr Prabowo, more military personnel could be deployed in restive Papua, which officially became part of Indonesia in 1969 and has suffered from frequent low-level separate insurgencies ever since. general commander of the Special Force Command,” said defence expert Mr Alman Helvas Ali from Jakarta-based defence think tank Marapi Consulting and Advisory.
Mr Prabowo Subianto on his first day as Indonesia's defence minister on Oct 23, 2019. Mr Prabowo, who turned 73 on Thursday , joined the military in the 1970s. Mr Prabowo finally succeeded in his third presidential bid this year after an image makeover portrayed him as a cute, cuddly grandpa who likes to dance during campaigning.According to investigative outlet Tempo, there was suspicion that military and police officers were deployed to mobilise votes for Mr Prabowo during the presidential campaign.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started to ease in 2022, the defence ministry received a budget of 150.4 trillion rupiah .from different countries to replace the country’s ageing equipment. No new commands have been set up so far, and the incoming president did not indicate a timeline for the expansion.is a sign of growing militarisation, Mr Khairul pointed out that this had been planned since the presidency of Mr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Mr Widodo’s predecessor.
A few years ago, Indonesia’s Papua island was expanded from two provinces into six, so it needs more resources. For one thing, the new president has a personal interest in regional and geopolitical issues and is also expected to play an active role in driving the country’s foreign policy. Mr Alman shares the same view. He added that Mr Prabowo’s strategy of buying arms from different countries shows his outward-looking vision.
A controversial bill that may have given the military and police more power was also discussed in the House of Representatives in the past few months. But Mdm Maria believes under Mr Prabowo’s rule, the military would return to its dual function as the guardian of the state’s sovereignty and handle other issues, including food security.
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