Indonesia’s Prabowo made honorary 4-star general
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Wednesday awarded an honorary four-star general rank to Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a former high-ranking army officer linked to human rights abuses and who emerged as the apparent winner of the February 14 presidential election.
Jokowi gave the honorary promotion to Prabowo, 72, in front of high-ranking military and police officials in the capital Jakarta. A four-star general is Indonesia’s second-highest military rank, usually held by the officer leading the Southeast Asian country’s military.
“This award is a form of appreciation as well as confirmation of one’s complete devotion to the people, nation and state,” Jokowi said on Wednesday.
Prabowo’s running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is the president’s eldest son.
Prabowo, who is likely to become Indonesia’s next leader, was a lieutenant general and commander of the army’s special forces, known as Kopassus, that were blamed for human rights abuses. These include the torture of 22 activists who had opposed the dictator Suharto, whose 1998 downfall amid massive protests restored democracy in the country.
Human rights groups have claimed that Prabowo was also involved in a series of human rights violations in East Timor in the 1980s and 1990s, when Indonesia occupied the now-independent nation. He has denied those allegations.
The alleged abuses led to Prabowo being forced out of the military, and he was dishonorably discharged in 1998.
He and other members of Kopassus were barred from traveling to the United States for years over the alleged abuses they committed against the people of East Timor. This ban lasted until 2020, when it was effectively lifted so he could visit the US as defense chief.
“Giving [Prabowo] an honorary four-star title with his track record in the military, and allegations of involvement in cases of human rights violations, will embarrass the honor and dignity of the Indonesian military,” said Gufron Mabruri, executive director of the Indonesian rights group Imparsial.
Prabowo’s election win is not yet official. Unofficial tallies showed him taking over 55 percent of the vote against his two rivals in a three-way race. Those counts, conducted by polling agencies and based on millions of ballots sampled from across the country, have proved accurate in previous elections.
If an official count confirms Prabowo’s victory, he’ll take office in October.