At Two-Year Cabinet Meeting, Prabowo Explains Rationale for Broad Coalition

President Prabowo Subianto explained why his Cabinet’s coalition is often described as “oversized”, saying Indonesia is as large as Europe.

He made the remarks while addressing a Cabinet meeting marking two years of his administration at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (21 October 2026). He said Indonesia needed substantial strength to meet the needs of its large population.

“Our coalition is large, that’s true, because I want as many forces as possible to unite in improving the lives of our people. I do not want to keep repeating or picking over what has already happened. In a country as large as ours, with politics as dynamic as ours, competition is bound to be fierce, and seats are limited,” Prabowo said.

Prabowo said the number of Cabinet positions in his administration had been adjusted to reflect its workload.

He also referred to the limited number of seats in parliament. Several ministers and coordinating ministers attending the meeting are also party leaders.

“Why is anyone smiling? These party leaders know that seats are limited. There is only one president, and we are accused of having an oversized, inefficient Cabinet,” he said.

“But, ladies and gentlemen, let me remind you: our country has almost 300 million people, and its physical size is comparable to Europe. Europe has 30 countries, 30 cabinets, 30 finance ministers, 30 military commanders, 30 attorneys-general and 30 national police chiefs. Indonesia has one Cabinet, ladies and gentlemen,” he added.