Indonesian poll favourite Prabowo Subianto feels heat from rivals

The Defence Minister faced a two-pronged attack in which he was assailed for his wealth and ‘reckless’ military procurement record.

A flustered Prabowo Subianto during Sunday night’s debate. Picture: AFP

Indonesian frontrunner presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has faced a two-pronged attack in a heated election debate in which his rivals, aiming to stem his growing lead, questioned his personal wealth, ethics, and “reckless” military procurement record.

The Defence Minister appeared to falter on Sunday night under a barrage of questions over his performance – including a shelved plan to buy second-hand fighter jets from Qatar –— amid speculation the trailing candidates could forge an alliance to keep him out of office.

Mr Prabowo is tipped to capture between 39 per cent and 46 per cent of the vote on February 14, making him the clear favourite in the three-horse race.

That is still short of the 50+1 per cent vote required for a single-round victory against former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and former central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, who are both positioned at between 20 to 25 per cent. If he cannot secure a clear majority, the two highest presidential vote winners must contest a second round in June.

Recent reports suggest the two trailing candidates have begun working together to foil the 72-year-old former special forces commander’s political ambitions.

Strategists from he Ganjar and Anies camps have reportedly discussed ways to counter alleged hardball tactics by Mr Prabowo’s team, which has been accused of deploying security officials to remove rival election material. Last month amateur video captured a group of Ganjar supporters being assaulted by soldiers in central Java, two of whom were hospitalised. “The understanding is that if Ganjar goes into the second round, the Anies camp will support and endorse Ganjar. And vice versa,” a strategist from one of the teams told Singapore’s Straits Times.

Mr Prabowo and Mr Ganjar have pledged to continue the ­development legacy of outgoing president Joko Widodo, but Mr Ganjar had hoped to secure the popular leader’s backing in the election contest as the candidate for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), which also backed Jokowi’s leadership. That is, until Mr Prabowo’s selection of Jokowi’s eldest son, ­Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his running mate last October scotched all chance of that.

Mr Prabowo, who is contesting the presidency for the third time after losing twice to Jokowi, joined the government in 2019 as Defence Minister. His pick, made possible thanks to a Constitutional Court ruling championed by the President’s brother-in-law Anwar Usman – chief justice at the time, has alienated the PDIP.

In Sunday night’s debate, Mr Ganjar hardened his attacks on Mr Prabowo, accusing him of pursuing a “reckless” procurement plan that failed to take into ­account what the military would need to protect Indonesia’s sovereignty amid heightened tension in the South China Sea.

“I have met with a high-ranking military official who told me if the government provides unnecessary weapons, a museum has already been prepared to display them,” Mr Ganjar said.

He and Mr Anies slammed Mr Prabowo’s plan to spend $US792m ($1.18bn) on 12 Mirage 2000-5 aircraft used by Qatar as a stopgap measure while the military awaits delivery of six new French-built Rafaele fighter jets.

The move was postponed ­because of budget constraints, but a flustered Mr Prabowo was nonetheless forced to defend the need for interim “deterrence capability” during the debate. “I had made plans, but … in the last two years we were disturbed by Covid, budget refocusing occurred, and many of our proposals were not approved by the Minister of Finance,” he said. “As a team player, I am loyal and I did not protest.”

Mr Anies, who has positioned himself as the “change” candidate, charged Mr Prabowo with neglecting the welfare of military personnel whose wages, he claimed, had slipped against inflation even as Mr Prabowo built wealth.

“The President has mentioned that you own more than 340,000ha of land, while more than half of the TNI soldiers do not have official housing,” he said, referring to the Indonesian military by its acronym.

Indonesia Political Review executive director Ujang Komarudin said a first-round Prabowo victory would hinge largely on ­Jokowi’s support, the backing of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s party, and how Mr Prabowo and Mr Gibran performed in the final two debates.

But whether Mr Anies and Mr Ganjar would ultimately join forces in a second-round vote could depend on the leading team’s first-round vote haul. If Mr Prabowo did better than expected, ­either camp could throw its support behind him to secure positions in the next government.