Supporters gathered outside the Presidential Palace in Jakarta watched a live feed of Prabowo Subianto taking the oath as President of Indonesia at the parliament on Sunday. – AFP
Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated as Indonesia's president on Sunday, following a decisive election victory. However, he has faced accusations of human rights abuses during the final days of the Suharto dictatorship.
Prabowo claimed a first-round win against two rivals in February and was officially sworn in as the new leader at parliament after an eight-month transition period. This marks the culmination of his decades-long quest for high office in Southeast Asia's largest economy.
The defence minister secured the presidency with the help of his vast wealth, nationalist fervor in his populist speeches, and his strongman credentials as a former military chief. 'At 18, I made a vow to die for the people and the nation. I have not revoked that vow. I am ready if God calls upon me,' he said at a campaign rally before the election, highlighting his military background.
The former general's political ambitions first emerged in 2004 but he failed to become the presidential candidate for the Golkar party, which was Suharto's former political vehicle. He ran for vice president in 2009 with ex-president Megawati Sukarnoputri but lost. He also lost the next two presidential elections to Joko Widodo, who is now stepping down after serving the constitutional two-term limit.
Rights groups have expressed concern that Prabowo might reverse hard-won democratic freedoms, citing accusations that he ordered the abduction of democracy activists at the end of Suharto's rule. Prabowo was dismissed from the military in 1998 over these abductions. The United States denied him a visa for years due to his rights record, but he denied the accusations and was never charged.
He has since rehabilitated his image, partly through a savvy social media campaign targeting Indonesia's youth, where he is portrayed as a 'cuddly grandpa'. His rising approval ratings, which made him the presidential favorite, were also boosted by his choice of Widodo's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his running mate.
Analysts believe Prabowo's chances were enhanced by Widodo's popularity and support, as well as younger Indonesians—more than half of the nearly 205 million eligible voters—who did not experience Suharto's rule. 'We will fight to bring prosperity for all Indonesians. We will continue what was already being built by previous presidents,' Prabowo said in a final campaign rally.
While Prabowo has promised to continue Widodo's economic development, his presidency has raised concerns among rights groups that democratic gains since the end of authoritarian rule could be reversed.
Born in 1951 to a wealthy family, Prabowo's father served as finance and trade minister, and his grandfather established the country's first state-owned bank. After living in Switzerland and England as a child, he returned to Indonesia in 1970 and joined the military. He married one of Suharto's daughters in 1983 but later divorced.
Between 1997 and 1998, when some of the kidnappings of activists occurred, Prabowo led the elite army force known as Kopassus, used by Jakarta for special operations aimed at suppressing internal unrest. More than a dozen activists remain missing and feared dead, with witnesses accusing his military unit of atrocities in East Timor.
He was dismissed from the military in 1998 over the abductions but was never charged, and went into voluntary exile in Jordan. Upon returning, he launched a business career in palm oil and energy before entering politics. Indonesia's ally, the United States, once refused him a visa over his rights record, and he was reportedly on a visa blacklist in Australia before the 2014 election. However, he has since been allowed to visit Washington and Canberra, hosting his US and Australian counterparts.
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