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Jakarta: <\/strong>Newly inaugurated\u00a0President Prabowo Subianto\u00a0announced Indonesia\u2019s largest-ever Cabinet on Sunday (October 20, 2024), with 109 members representing his pledge for a strong government.<\/p>\n He named his Cabinet of Ministers, Vice-Ministers and head of national agencies the \u201cRed and White Cabinet\u201d, referring to the colours of Indonesia\u2019s flag.<\/p>\n Mr Subianto became the 8th President of Southeast Asia\u2019s largest economy on Sunday (October 20, 2024). The Cabinet of Mr. Subianto\u2019s predecessor Joko Widodo had 34 Ministers and heads of government agencies.<\/p>\n Mr Subianto has said earlier that he needs a strong administration, even though analysts said that his \u201cfat\u201d Cabinet would bloat the bureaucracy.<\/p>\n The Cabinet features politicians from a coalition of seven parties who supported his victory in the February election and figures allied with Mr Widodo\u2019s Cabinet, who were reappointed to continue their jobs under Mr Subianto\u2019s Presidency. Analysts said the move was a political reward to Mr. Widodo for the latter\u2019s tacit support in the election.<\/p>\n Mr. Subianto was sworn in with his new Vice-President, 37-year-old Surakarta former Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka. He chose Raka, who is Mr Widodo\u2019s son, as his running mate, with Mr Widodo favouring Mr Subianto over the candidate of his own former party.<\/p>\n The former rivals became tacit allies, even though Indonesian Presidents don\u2019t typically endorse candidates. Mr. Subianto was a longtime rival of Mr. Widodo, who ran against him for the Presidency twice and refused to accept his defeat on both occasions, in 2014 and 2019.<\/p>\n But Mr. Widodo appointed Mr. Subianto as defence chief after his reelection, paving the way for an alliance despite their rival political parties. During the campaign, Mr. Subianto ran as the popular outgoing President\u2019s heir, vowing to continue signature policies such as the construction of a multibillion-dollar new capital city and limits on exporting raw materials intended to boost domestic industry.<\/p>\n Backed by Mr Widodo, Mr Subianto swept to a landslide victory in February\u2019s direct Presidential election on promises of policy continuity. Mr. Subianto reappointed nearly half of Mr. Widodo\u2019s Cabinet members, including Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, making her the first person to hold the Ministry under three different Presidents.<\/p>\n Ms. Indrawati (62), who has served as the executive director of the International Monetary Fund and managing director of the World Bank, is one of Indonesia\u2019s longest-serving Finance Ministers, having held the post for long stretches under Presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko Widodo.<\/p>\n Other Ministers from Mr. Widodo\u2019s Cabinet include Interior Minister Tito Karnavian, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan, Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir.<\/p>\n Mr Subianto has announced an ambitious goal of increasing annual economic growth to 8% by the end of his five-year term and embarking on an ambitious spending programme, including an increase in defence spending, hikes in civil servants\u2019 salaries and a programme to give 83 million children free meals.<\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n