Prabowo puts Indonesia on a war footing against corruption

Indonesia’s new president warns of the need ‘in times of tension, in possibility of war’ to achieve food and energy self-sufficiency.

Indonesia's new President Prabowo Subianto, left, and predecessor Joko Widodo during the presidential inauguration in Jakarta on Sunday. Picture: AFP

Indonesia’s new President, Prabowo Subianto, declared a war on corruption in his inauguration speech on Sunday and vowed to achieve food and energy self-­sufficiency as an insurance against the possibility of conflict in a ­region where US-China rivalry has escalated sharply.

In an hour-long, sometimes tub-thumping speech, which he concluded with the country’s fiery independence battle cry of Merdeka (Freedom), the 73-year-old warned of the need “in times of tension, in the possibility of war” to be prepared for worst-case scenarios, and not expect that other nations would help feed its people.

Mr Prabowo also put politicians at all levels of government on notice that they would be expected to “set an example in leading a clean government”.

“When fish rots, it rots from the head,” he said in a speech marking the start of his leadership tenure alongside Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of outgoing leader Joko Widodo whose path to office was cleared by a change of laws last October.

Mr Prabowo took the oath of office and gave his speech at the national parliament building in Jakarta on Sunday morning ­before making his way with Mr ­Gibran through flag-waving crowds to the presidential palace for the official handover.

In front of hundreds of state leaders, dignitaries and Indonesian officials – many resplendent in provincial dress – he promised to uphold the country’s “unique” democracy and “prioritise the interests of all Indonesian people, including those who did not vote us”.

Dressed in sky-blue suit, black Peci hat and red-and-gold tenun, the former special forces commander referenced Indonesia’s war of independence against the Dutch and a history “full of heroism, sacrifice and courage”, but warned many Indonesians had still not enjoyed the fruits of that struggle.

He urged Indonesians to “be brave” and face reality that corruption had held back Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

“Let us have the courage to look at ourselves. We must face the reality that there is still too much leakage, abuse and corruption in our country,” he said.

“This endangers our future, and the future of our children and grandchildren.

“We must be brave enough to acknowledge the excessive budget leakages, deviations and collusions among political officials and government officials at all levels with unscrupulous, unpatriotic businesspeople.”

After more than a decade of impressive gains, corruption levels in Indonesia have been on the rise since former president Jokowi – who stepped down on Sunday after 10 years in office – de-fanged the country’s once powerful Corruption Eradication Commission in 2019. Mr Prabowo has not said whether he will restore the agency’s powers.

Indonesia’s eighth president, who won February elections with Jokowi’s backing after two failed attempts, has promised to eradicate poverty across the archipelago and combat child stunting and malnutrition through a school lunch program estimated to cost $US7bn ($10.4bn) in his first year alone.

In his Sunday speech Mr Prabowo chided those who boasted of Indonesia being the world’s 16th-largest economy while failing to acknowledge the millions of people still living in poverty and struggling for one nutritious meal a day.

“We must be able to produce and meet the food needs of our own people,” he said, warning that in a crisis Indonesia could “not rely on food sources from abroad”.

“We must also achieve energy self-sufficiency. In times of tension, in the possibility of war, we must be prepared for the worst-case scenarios. Other countries will prioritise their own interests.

“If something undesirable happens it will be difficult to obtain energy sources from other nations.”

Mr Prabowo reiterated his commitment to uphold Indonesia’s traditional non-alignment foreign policy, which shuns all formal alliances and security blocs in favour of “active neutrality” and a friend-to-all approach.

But his government would also call out oppression, racism and apartheid, which was why it supported the independence of the Palestinian people, he added.

In a statement issued after the speech, Amnesty International urged the new government to demonstrate its commitment to freedom from oppression by upholding civil liberties for all Indonesians, and by delivering justice to all past victims of human rights abuses.

Additional reporting: Dian Septiari