Prabowo on Broad Coalition: I Want as Many Forces as Possible to Unite

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has explained why he formed a broad political coalition, which has often drawn criticism. He said he wanted to bring all forces together in the national interest.

“Our coalition is large, that is true, because I want as many forces as possible to unite to improve the lives of our people,” Prabowo said in a speech at a plenary Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (21 October).

Prabowo said one of Indonesia’s weaknesses was that its elites remained divided and prioritised sectoral interests.

He also acknowledged that political dynamics in a country as large as Indonesia were bound to be intense, while leadership positions were limited.

“They accuse us of having an oversized cabinet, of being inefficient. But, ladies and gentlemen, remember that our country has nearly 300 million people and is physically as large as Europe,” he said.

Prabowo said Indonesia’s geographical area was comparable to Europe, which comprises nearly 30 countries. Unlike the European Union, where each country has its own cabinet, Indonesia has just one.

“How can it be inefficient? We are able to respond to natural disasters. We mobilised extensively in northern Sumatra recently; we have faced earthquakes, Krakatau, and forest and land fires together,” he said.

Prabowo said Indonesian politics should therefore prioritise national unity. He said the idea had previously been championed by Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, who sought to preserve national unity but was mocked at the time.

Differences and competition are necessary in a democracy, he said, but national unity remains essential.

“If we follow Western-style democracy, just look at television and the news: what happens every day in France, Italy and Europe, the birthplace of democracy and the place that taught us about human rights,” he said.