Published: 12:59, October 21, 2024 | Updated: 13:12, October 21, 2024
Indonesia's Prabowo swears in cabinet of over 100 ministers, deputies
By Reuters
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto (center) gestures as Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka (left) and newly-appointed Deputy Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Affairs Otto Hasibuan look on, during the announcement of the new cabinet lineup, at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Oct 20, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

JAKARTA - Indonesia's newly minted leader, President Prabowo Subianto, officially swore in his cabinet on Monday, a team which analysts said reflected continuity of his predecessor's main policies.

Prabowo took office on Sunday as the eighth Indonesian president, taking the mantle from Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. In a fiery speech to lawmakers, he promised to eradicate corruption and aim to reach self-sufficiency in food and energy.

Prabowo's cabinet has 48 ministries with over 100 ministers and deputies, including re-appointments of Sri Mulyani Indrawati as finance minister and Bahlil Lahadalia as energy minister.

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Sri Mulyani will preside over Prabowo's main programs, including giving free meals to about 20 million children which could cost the state budget 71 trillion rupiah ($4.60 billion) in the first year, a number intended to keep the annual fiscal deficit under a legislated ceiling of 3 percent of gross domestic product.

A former World Bank managing director, Sri Mulyani has earned plaudits for reforming the taxation system while working under two presidents before Prabowo.

Other key re-appointments include chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto and Erick Thohir as the state-owned enterprises minister.

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Prabowo's re-appointments show his intention to continue the policies of Jokowi, especially on the economy, said analyst Burhanuddin Muhtadi.

"Prabowo does not want to take further risks and that's why he chose key figures that served under Jokowi," he said, adding these appointments give Prabowo some political security.

Indonesia's new foreign minister is Sugiono, the deputy of Prabowo's political party and second-in-command of the parliamentary commission overseeing foreign policy.

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Luhut Pandjaitan, Jokowi's senior minister who spearheaded Indonesia's mineral processing industry, has been named the head of the country's National Economic Council.

Prabowo's cabinet differs in some aspects from Jokowi's as some ministries have been broken up or renamed. Education and culture ministries are separate, as well as environment and forestry.

Front row, from left, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economics Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan, President Prabowo Subianto, Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Affairs Yusril Ihza Mahendra, and Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Pratikno pose for a group photo with newly-appointed ministers during the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Oct 21, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Below are brief biographies of the key ministers:

Sri Mulyani Indrawati, finance minister

Indonesia's first woman finance minister, Sri Mulyani, 62, is already one of the country's longest-serving finance ministers. She is regularly listed as among 100 most powerful women in the world by Forbes magazine.

Airlangga Hartarto, coordinating minister for economic affairs

Airlangga, 62, is the former chairman of Indonesia's second-largest political party Golkar, and has been a staunch defender of palm oil - an important industry in Indonesia - in global markets, exchanging barbs with critics and diplomats.

Agua Gumiwang Kartasasmita, industry minister

The 55-year-old Golkar politician was Widodo's industry minister and son of a former minister under Suharto.

Bahlil Lahadalia, energy minister

Bahlil, 48, one of Widodo's loyalists and the chairman of Golkar party, has worked in jobs ranging from driving a bus to selling fish, before he built a fortune in wood trading.

Budi Santoso, trade minister

Budi, 56, has spent his career as a bureaucrat at the trade ministry and his last position was the ministry's secretary-general.

Sugiono, foreign affairs minister

Sugiono, 45, is a former member of the army's special forces and a former member of parliament in a commission overseeing foreign affairs, defense and security.

Erick Thohir, state enterprises minister

Thohir, 54, comes from a wealthy family that has businesses in entertainment, food and media. His brother, Garibaldi Thohir, runs one of the world's biggest coal exporters, Adaro Energy.

Rosan Roeslani, investment minister

Before joining the government as Indonesia's ambassador in Washington in 2021, Rosan, 55, was a businessman and was named Widodo's investment minister months before the transition of government.

Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, defense minister

Retired Lt Gen Sjafrie, 71, has been friends with Prabowo since their military academy days and is considered one of Prabowo's closest allies. He was former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's deputy defense minister.