Key Summary
- Prabowo Subianto wins Indonesian Presidency amid controversy over alleged human rights abuses.
- Election sparks debate on commitment to democratic values in world’s third-largest democracy.
- Subianto, a former special forces commander under Suharto, faces allegations of involvement in kidnappings and torture.
- Concerns arise domestically and internationally over potential erosion of democracy and human rights under his presidency.
- Despite controversies, Subianto pledges to maintain growth and freedoms in Indonesia as he assumes office.
Former General Prabowo Subianto wins Indonesian Presidency, sparking controversy after his alleged involvement in previous human rights abuses. The election took place on Wednesday, igniting debate as to whether or not the new leader of the world’s third-largest democracy would maintain their commitment to “democratic values.” The election is currently being labeled the biggest single-day election with over 200 million people having been eligible to vote.
Wednesday’s election is not Subianto’s first attempt at the presidency. Subianto ran in 2014 and 2019, both times losing to the previous president Joko Widodo, more commonly known as Jokowi. Regardless of their previous election battles, these two political rivals have seemed to relinquish past tensions as Jokowi appointed Subianto to serve as his defense minister as well as his own son, Gibran Rakabuming, being the running mate of the new president-elect. However, the issues in Subianto’s past have little to do with his previous elections, but rather his involvement in many human rights violations during the duration of his military career.
Prabowo Subianto is from an elite political family and was a previous special commander under the Suharto dictatorship. It’s also relevant to note that Suharto happens to be his father-in-law. During Subianto’s time as a special forces commander, he led missions against the pro-independence groups that were in East Timor during Indonesia’s twenty-four year period of occupation. In 1998, Subianto was dishonorably discharged as a result of the Indonesia special army forces, known as Kopassus, having kidnapped and tortured Suharto’s political adversaries.
Subianto is also said to have been involved in the ordered kidnappings of pro-democracy activists near the end of the autocratic rule of Suharto. During this time, there were around twenty-two activists taken, with thirteen still missing to this day. Even twenty-five years later, there are still protests outside the presidential palace to advocate for those who are still missing. Since Wednesday’s elections, these protests have increased as most blame Subianto for their disappearance. While Subianto himself was not put on trial, several of his men were, eventually resulting in convictions. Throughout the decades, these allegations and controversies have followed Subianto throughout his political career. Since the beginning, he has denied all involvement, even after the United States prohibited him from entering the country for twenty years in response to the claims.
Since the fall of Suharto’s regime in 1998, the nation has made significant changes and growth in relation to both politics and economics. In terms of politics, there have been multiple peaceful power transitions. However, the country’s democracy is viewed as somewhat unstable as there is still a strong presence of systemic corruption, discrimination of various minority groups, and conflicts within the Papua region. Other than politics, there has also been significant growth in the Indonesian economy and various infrastructure projects, one of which being the move of Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. Many worry that the change of power to Subianto will damage the democracy as well as the steady economic growth and sustainable developments of Indonesia.
Subianto’s presidency has created a fear that the nation will backslide democratically and will put into power a government that does not prioritize or value human rights. This is heightened by reports that Subianto himself has discussed the possibility of eliminating the term limits of the presidency and direct elections. During the presidential campaign season, he was also the only candidate to not respond to a questionnaire by Humans Rights Watch.
Beyond the tensions and possible consequences within the country, there are also significant implications internationally, especially in regards to the already strained relations between the United States and China. Indonesia has a large domestic market with many natural resources in addition to major diplomatic influence within Southeast Asia. This region of the world has already been the arena for conflicts between the US and China with many previous entanglements over Taiwan, military deployments, and aggressive actions within “disputed” waters. Jokowi, for the most part, maintained a neutral position, working with both powers without formally criticizing or aligning with one. This can be seen through the increase in Chinese trade and investments within Indonesia and the defense and military ties with the US. Many fear that at the control of Subianto, the already agitated relations between the two superpowers could be heightened if Indonesia were to change its previous neutral stance.
Thus, as Subianto steps into power, a peaceful democratic transition is going to be crucial in the eyes of the people as well as the international community as it will solidify that the country is still a capable power that is able to maintain security and stability. Additionally, those who ran against Subianto will need to publicly concede to the loss, as to avoid any rebellion that may occur from their supporters.
To address concerns regarding the US and China, Indonesia will have to remain unaligned. One can hope this will be addressed by Indonesia’s membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Given that ASEAN, a bloc that aims to remain neutral with any of the major global powers, has its headquarters in Jakarta, Subianto should be less inclined to “side” with a particular nation.
As of now, Subianto has pledged to maintain the active growth and freedoms within the country, though many debate whether this was just a part of his campaign strategy or genuine. Nonetheless, Subianto was democratically elected by the Indonesian people even with the knowledge of his previous controversies, making him the new president. As Subianto gets settled into his new role, NGF will continue to survey the transition and the impact on both the citizens and the international community.
Author: Ella Powers
