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Prabowo Subianto
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Prabowo Subianto

Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo is Indonesia’s eighth president, representing the Gerindra Party. He took office in October 2024. A former military general previously accused of human rights abuses during the presidency of his father-in-law Suharto, Prabowo served as defence minister under former president Joko Widodo, who defeated him in two prior elections.
Born
17 Oct 1951
Industry
Politics
Job Title
President of Indonesia
Students sit on the floor as they have their meals as part of President Prabowo Subianto’s free meal programme to feed children and pregnant women nationwide, in Banten, Indonesia in 2025. Photo: AP
Indonesia

Indonesia further cuts budget of president’s free meals scheme

More cuts are possible to the original US$15 billion initiative, officials say.

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Indonesia

Did fear of the US force Indonesia’s ‘slap in the face’ to Iran?

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s Danantara must ‘outlast’ presidencies to prove worth: top official

Indonesia

Indonesia’s free meals scheme cut leaves kitchen operators in limbo

Each operator spent at least US$83,000 to build one kitchen, ⁠and had to take bank loans or sell assets to fund it.

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Indonesian students eat their free meals at a primary school in Banda Aceh on March 31. Photo: EPA
Indonesia

What happens when Indonesia’s top corruption buster is suspected of graft himself?

Police seized 74kg of gold and US$15 million in cash linked to Febrie Adriansyah, who until last week headed the Special Crimes Division.

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Artificial intelligence

Southeast Asian scammers’ new disguise: your leader’s face

The president is asking for your bank details. He isn’t, of course. But the AI wearing his face is.

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Indonesia

‘Grading own homework’: is Indonesia outsourcing online safety to tech giants?

Without a regulator, Indonesia’s child online safety rules require digital platforms to assess and remove underage accounts themselves.

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Boys use their mobile phone in Jakarta on April 29. Photo: AP
Indonesia

Jakarta joins the BrahMos club to escape superpower crossfire

Analysts say the missile deal aims to give Indonesia a supersonic shield to insulate its waterways from great-power clashes.

India

India to supply Indonesia with long-range missiles

The two countries will also collaborate on air-to-air missiles cooperation that ‘enhances technology collaboration and defence capabilities’.

Singapore

Indonesia, Singapore say key oil passage will remain ‘accessible’

The Strait of Malacca is the world’s largest oil chokepoint in terms of transit volume, according to the US EIA.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (right) and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at a welcoming ceremony before their meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Indonesia’s free meals corruption probe extends to police, military officers

President Prabowo’s US$15 billion programme has been criticised for budget strains and cases of food poisoning.

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A student carries food trays as part of the free meals programme in Bandung on June 12. Photo: Xinhua
Indonesia

Ex-Indonesian president backs son’s party for 2029 election

Joko Widodo wants to boost the appeal of the Indonesian Solidarity Party and signal his continuous relevance, analysts say.

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Indonesia

Civil trainee deaths spur criticisms of Prabowo’s reliance on military drill

The military says the physical activity that trainees take part in to prepare for their civilian roles is ‘not a burden’.

Indonesia

Asian Angle | Liberal Islam in Indonesia is sliding into irrelevance

Political entanglements and ideological schisms have left the pioneering Liberal Islam Network in disarray.

A boy waves a flag at a rally attended by thousands of Indonesian Islamists in Jakarta in 2018. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Dozens arrested in Indonesia after anti-government protest turns violent

Around 100 people had gathered in Surabaya to protest a fuel price increase and the president’s flagship free meals scheme.

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A student throws a box that has been set on fire at riot police during a protest in Surabaya on Friday. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Burning point: Southeast Asia’s haze fight faces cost test

Indonesia has come under renewed attention after President Prabowo Subianto committed to cracking down on agriculture-linked fires.

China-Asean relations

Is Prabowo’s Trump moment a sign that China is losing its favourite partner?

The Indonesian leader’s unusual approach to the ‘America first’ president is testing Jakarta’s non-alignment policy, observers said.

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Indonesia

How Indonesia’s coal policies left its own citizens in the dark

Hours-long blackouts since last week have disrupted the lives and businesses of millions of subscribers of state-owned utility firm PLN in Java.

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Barges are loaded with coal on the Mahakam River in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, in 2022. Photo: AP
Indonesia

Video | Indonesia hits pause on free meal programme

The 3-week break will save the government an estimated 3.4 trillion rupiah (US$191 million).

Indonesia

Indonesia market sell-off fuels anti-Singapore sentiment online

Politics and finance collide as some social media users claim Singapore stands to gain from negative sentiment towards Indonesia.

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Indonesia

Free meals, political cost: why Indonesia is restructuring, not axing, scheme

As it was Prabowo’s signature campaign promise, dropping the programme could prove ‘embarrassing’ to the president, experts say.

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Students eat lunch provided by the Free Nutritious Meals programme in Bandung, West Java, on Friday. Photo: Xinhua
Malaysia

Viral video of Indonesian helper being beaten in Malaysia prompts calls to act

Four suspects were detained in Johor as an Indonesian MP urged President Prabowo to intervene over the abuse in a private home.

A still from the viral social media video shows the assault of an Indonesian domestic worker at a house in Taman Johor, Malaysia. Photo: Threads
Indonesia

Asian Angle | Indonesia’s nickel rule changes are spooking Chinese investors

A leaked grievance letter reveals how Jakarta’s resource nationalism risks driving essential Chinese capital away.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s US$8 million visa scandal threatens drive for talent, investors

Public-sector corruption is an ‘open secret’ in Indonesia, analysts say, urging Jakarta to make the application process more transparent.

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Indonesia

Exclusive | Indonesian union boss defends joining Prabowo’s government

Said Iqbal says workers need lobbyists inside the palace. Critics say organised labour’s best weapon is its independence.

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Said Iqbal, Indonesia’s new presidential special advisor for manpower and labour welfare affairs, reacts following his inauguration at the presidential palace in Jakarta on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Indonesian soldiers jailed for up to 3 years over acid attack on activist

Amnesty International called the trial for the attack, which left Andrie Yunus blind in one eye, ‘a blatant whitewash’.

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An Indonesian military police officer escorts military personnel charged over an acid attack on human rights activist Andrie Yunus into the courtroom on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Opinion | Indonesia’s labour movement is deeply divided over political patronage

Rival rallies reveal a fundamental clash between a co-opted union elite and an independent grass-roots movement.

Indonesia

Will Indonesia’s free meals scheme survive amid corruption arrests?

The deepening crisis in the billion-dollar initiative threatens its future and the president’s political standing.

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