July 2, 2024
JAKARTA – Several months prior to his inauguration in October, president-elect Prabowo Subianto underwent what he described as “a major surgery” to his left leg that he said was injured while parachuting in the 1980s as a soldier.
The defense minister received the surgery at the Soedirman National Defense Center Hospital (RSPPN) in Bintaro, South Jakarta, which was inaugurated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in February alongside dozens of other national defense hospitals.
Prabowo shared the news of his successful surgery on his Instagram page on Sunday by including some photos of him being visited by President Jokowi at the hospital. The former army general said that he had two parachuting accidents during his service in the Army, which affected his left leg and caused him pain for years.
“I am aware that the medical procedure I underwent was full of risks and put my life at stake, but I assured myself that this was for the sake of the country. I was also confident that the doctors and medical personnel who treated me were reliable and professional,” Prabowo wrote in the caption.
While there were no details on when exactly Prabowo had the surgery, the chair of Gerindra Party said the surgery took place around one week ago.
“God willing, with my better health condition, I am more than ready to serve the state and the people of Indonesia,” he further stated, while thanking the doctors involved. Prabowo also extended his gratitude to Jokowi for sending him “moral support and prayers”.
The outgoing President Jokowi, through social media platform X on Sunday, asked Indonesian citizens to pray for Prabowo’s full recovery.
Jokowi previously bestowed upon Prabowo the rank of honorary four-star general, the highest in the Indonesian Military (TNI), which observers have deemed the culmination of a decades-long rebranding for Prabowo after allegations of human rights abuses in the 1990s.
While Prabowo has consistently denied the accusations and claims he was merely following orders, the former son-in-law of late dictator Soeharto was dismissed from the military in 1998 as he was found to have ordered the abduction of pro-democracy activists.
Prabowo then went into exile in Jordan for a short time. He returned to Indonesia in 2001 and carved out a career as a politician by cofounding his political vehicle – the Gerindra Party – in 2008.
During his term as a defense minister, Prabowo, who finally won the presidency on his third attempt in this year’s election, has pushed for better medical infrastructure in Indonesia by developing “modern hospitals” across the country, among other things.
Prabowo praised the development of the RSPPN, where he was treated for the leg surgery, during the hospital’s inauguration in February, saying it was “the biggest military hospital in Indonesia”.
Ujang Komarudin, a political analyst from Al-Azhar Indonesia University, lauded Prabowo’s decision to have his surgery at home. He said Prabowo had set a good example for other government officials who tended to go to neighboring countries for medical treatments.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan underwent treatment in Singapore for almost a month in late last year, following initial treatments at Medistra Hospital in South Jakarta and Gatot Subroto Army General Hospital in Central Jakarta. He was referred to Singapore after receiving offers from Singapore’s Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
“Prabowo’s recent successful operation demonstrates to the public that medical treatments in our nation are just as good as those in other countries,” Ujang told The Jakarta Post on Monday.