Indonesia prez taps election arch-rival for defense minister
JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo yesterday named his election arch-rival — a former general accused of abuses — as defense minister, a move which dismayed human rights activists. Widodo unveiled his new cabinet at an informal presentation with more than three dozen new ministers in eye-catching batik shirts sat in front of the imposing neoclassical columns of the Merdeka Palace.
Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, beat Prabowo Subianto in April elections to secure another term as president of the world’s third-biggest democracy. His victory followed a bitter campaign plagued by mudslinging, fake news online and claims from Subianto that the government staged a “massive, systematic and fraudulent” election, which sparked deadly post-poll riots. At least nine people died in the unrest.
But the pair have since appeared together in public, and this week Subianto, 68, hinted that he and another member of his Gerindra opposition party were tapped for top government posts. Announcing Subianto’s new role, Jokowi said: “I believe I don’t have to tell him about his job — he knows more than I do.” Online, Subianto supporters cheered the appointment. “They used to compete but now, together, they’re going to build this country,” said one. “We appreciate Prabowo for being big-hearted enough to be willing to help Jokowi for the progress of the nation.” Amnesty International Indonesia earlier warned against appointing the former general, saying it would mark “a dark day for human rights”. Subianto, a former son-in-law of Indonesia’s late dictator Suharto, was accused of abuses — including the kidnapping and disappearance of several pro-democracy activists — in the lead up to massive street demonstrations that brought down the regime in 1998.