As all Indonesian expats should know by now President Prabono Subianto was inaugurated as President of the Republic back in October.
I have and always do take politics at arms length and continue to do so albeit with a few exceptions. The exceptions being the leaders of their respective parties who find themselves at the top of thier countries political tree.
It is important for expats (who may be cogniscent already) to know some political background to their adopted homes new President.
Mr Prabono has ahem, to use a word pinched from the London Met “Form”. Indonesia is a relatively young democracy that came into being in 1998. Hitherto it was run by the dictator Suharto. Mr Prabowo was a general under the regime who held public office. He was married to Suharto’s daughter: ‘It’s not what but who you know’ goes the accurate refrain especially in Asian political circles. Mr Subianto’s favourite ‘dress’ is military attire but at the run up to the last election adopted the ‘casual’ look and appeared in civvies. Does a Leopard ever change its spots? Well it appears not by recent events.
On October 25th over a hundred members of the new cabinet were summoned to the Indonesian military academy (where Mr Prabono graduated from in 1974) in the Volcanic foothills of Java. All were instructed to wear military fatigues which included the urbane finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, one of five women in the cabinet.
You may ask what is the connection with Mr T? On 29th of October a high profile opponent of Prabowo, Thomas Lembong a former banker, was arrested on what some political commentators alluded to as ‘arcane’ charges. Essentially Mr Lembong is an advocate for freer trade in a protectionist country and a lowering of tarrifs, an area anathema to the populist Mr T.
It is on public record (Forum Police please note) that the new President, who recently visited the States was banned from entering the country for 20 years regarding the unexplaned disapperance of a dozen political activists during the Suharto era. Now he is President ‘real politic’ has welcomed him back into Uncle Sam’s arms.
Some would say that Mr Prabowo has never fully embraced the democracy that followed the fall of his father-in-law. The above does not bode well for the country. Just imagine when Mr T is inaugurated. There will be champagne corks popping and canapés in abundance at the American embassy in Menteng just around the corner from where I am staying. Wonder if I can bum an invite? Maybe not.
