October 16, 2024
JAKARTA – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto visited the National Police’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) headquarters in Depok, West Java, on Monday to survey preparations for the Oct. 20 presidential inauguration ceremony, in an apparent show of unity ahead of the power transition.
Officers from various police divisions were present at the roll call, including from the Traffic Corps (Korlantas) and the Densus 88 counterterrorism squad.
Jokowi and Prabowo were seen in Brimob berets and rode in a Maung tactical vehicle together. The President then led a procession of hundreds of police officers.
The police thanked the outgoing leader for his decade-long presidency and wished Prabowo good luck in his presidency. Among the scores of police performances at the event was a skydiving show by officers who unfurled big banners of Jokowi and Prabowo in the sky.
Continuity
The ceremony came after Jokowi and Prabowo met twice in just over a week ahead of the transfer of power to discuss what the Palace described as “togetherness and continuity” of ongoing government programs.
Read also: Jokowi, Prabowo have pre-transition dinner meeting
Jokowi met Prabowo over dinner on Oct. 8 at a restaurant in Senayan, Jakarta, which the president later shared on social media, saying the two had chatted for over two hours.
Days later, on Sunday, Jokowi invited Prabowo to his private residence in Surakarta, Central Java. Prabowo was picked up at Adi Soemarno airport by vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son, and traveled to Jokowi’s residence.
Political analyst Ujang Komarudin noted that the Monday ceremony, on top of the increase in Jokowi-Prabowo joint appearances, could be an attempt to show the public that they were “of one camp, one frequency and one interest.”
“It’s no wonder that Prabowo was also invited to the ceremony because they both want to show that a smooth transition of power will happen as they have promised,” Ujang said on Monday.
Read also: Jokowi visits hometown Surakarta, meets Prabowo before power transition
Analyst Wasisto Raharjo Jati of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) said Jokowi and Prabowo making the appearance together “could be another attempt to dispel rumors of a growing rift” between the two.
Prabowo and Jokowi are believed to have differing priorities for Prabowo’s administration, and rumors of a rift between the two grew louder after the discovery of an old account allegedly owned by Gibran with posts mocking the president-elect and his family.
Prabowo and Jokowi did not say whether they had discussed the incoming cabinet lineup.
Gibran said last week that Jokowi had “suggested several names [to Prabowo] for the new cabinet” but reiterated that Prabowo would have the final say, Kompas TV reported.
Cabinet lineup
On Monday, following the police ceremony, Prabowo invited scores of politicians, many of whom helped him win the election, and incumbent figures from the outgoing administration to his house in Jakarta for what his close aide said was a finalization of the cabinet lineup.
By Monday evening, more than 45 political figures had been seen entering Prabowo’s residence in Kertanegara. They included Gerindra lawmaker Sugiono, who is believed to be in the running for foreign minister, Golkar Party lawmaker Meutya Hafid, who has been touted as a potential communications minister, and chairs of political parties in the Gerindra-led Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM), including Golkar Party chair Bahlil Lahadalia, Democratic Party chair Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and National Mandate Party (PAN) chair Zulkifli Hasan. All three are also ministers serving under Jokowi.
Among the incumbent ministers who entered Prabowo’s residence were Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, State Secretary Pratikno and Home Minister Tito Karnavian.
Read also: Prabowo considering offering Sri Mulyani cabinet post: Sources
Unsuccessful vice presidential candidate Muhaimin Iskandar of the National Awakening Party (PKB) was also seen visiting Prabowo. The PKB announced its support for Prabowo not long after the February election.
“More potential names for ministers, deputy ministers and government institution heads will be summoned on Tuesday,” Gerindra executive Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said.
At the roll call event on Monday, the police awarded Jokowi the Public Security and Safety Medal of Honor and named him an “honored citizen” for his role in improving the police force and ensuring public safety.
National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, a Jokowi loyalist, said the award was “a form of institutional respect for his extraordinary contribution to the police force”.
In exchange, Jokowi awarded honorary emblems to seven police divisions.
Analyst Ujang said the award could be an attempt to bolster Jokowi’s public image.
“The award could surely be a mark of Jokowi’s respectable service as president, but it is also layered with political interest,” he said.
The President has maintained high approval ratings in his two presidential terms since 2014. But a poll by Indikator Politik Indonesia last month showed his approval rating at its lowest level this year, though Jokowi remains more popular now than during most of his time in office.
The pollster attributed the dip to public dissatisfaction over attempts by Jokowi-aligned lawmakers in August to subvert Constitutional Court rulings that blocked the path for the President’s youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, to run for regional office this year and that sought to ensure more competitive regional elections.