The launch of Indonesia’s newly formed investment authority, Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara), initially set for November 7, has been delayed due to President Prabowo Subianto’s concurrent visit to China. Danantara is now expected to launch upon the President’s return, likely at the end of November. However, questions linger about the clarity of Danantara’s purpose and the implications of its establishment on Indonesia’s existing investment entities.

Just as President Prabowo Subianto transformed the communications and information ministry into the Communications and Digital Ministry to improve digital governance in the country, the police have arrested a number of officials at the new ministry for their alleged role in online gambling.

President Prabowo Subianto has issued a new Government Regulation (PP) to forgive loans from state-owned banks for individuals and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in sectors like farming, fisheries and plantations, as in select industries including clothing, food and the creative economy. The new regulation is expected to boost business growth for debtors in these sectors and industries, and also presents a potential political advantage for the current administration, at minimal cost.

With the financial constraints facing President Prabowo Subianto in running the country and his bid to fulfill his campaign promises, the government has welcomed initiatives intended to ease its burden. Nevertheless, the helping hand may cost the government in the future as there is no such thing as a free lunch or good Samaritans, especially in politics.

The National Solidarity Movement (GSN) was formed earlier this month apparently to serve as a political safety net for President Prabowo Subianto. The organization, which is neither a social movement nor a political group, will consolidate Prabowo’s volunteers and supporters, from the grassroots to politicians, including members of the Red and White Cabinet.

In a landmark ruling, the Constitutional Court has instructed lawmakers to draft a new manpower law, striking down 21 articles in the contentious Job Creation Law that aimed to replace it. This decision underscores persistent challenges and legislative inconsistencies within the omnibus law, which was designed to revise over 70 laws.

Gerindra politician Simon Aloysius Mantiri was recently appointed as the new CEO of state-owned oil and gas holding company Pertamina, followed by two other Gerindra politicians on the board of commissioners, one of them as chief commissioner. Their appointments reflect a change of Pertamina’s leadership from being led by professionals to now being dominated by political figures, which raises concerns as Pertamina faces heavier challenges with declining oil production amid President Prabowo Subianto’s energy self-sufficiency target.

Joko “Jokowi” Widodo may have ceased to be president as of Oct. 20, but he apparently still exercises some power and influence over the new government, as evidenced by the corruption prosecution against Thomas Lembong, who briefly served as his trade minister.

President Prabowo Subianto has expressed his commitment to prioritizing food self-sufficiency for Indonesia, setting a five-year deadline to achieve this objective. However, Indonesia still faces many issues with its food supply as the country relies heavily on food imports to meet the needs of the hour, a challenge that many previous presidents have attempted to address to no avail.

In arresting retired senior Supreme Court official Zarof Ricar last week, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) appears to have killed two birds with one stone. State prosecutors not only revealed alleged bribery in the controversial acquittal of a former politician’s son of murder charges in Surabaya, but also entrenched corruption within the country’s judicial system.

Indonesia has every reason to be skeptical about the prospect of the intergovernmental organization knowns as BRICS. Questions regarding its effectiveness in reforming the global financial system still abound, as well as whether it is too much of an anti-West group led by China that would not necessarily serve Indonesia’s national interests.

Jakarta voters will decide their leaders for the next five years during the simultaneous regional elections on Nov. 27. The upcoming race will feature an independent contender known to peddle conspiracies, a former West Java governor backed by the bloated government coalition and a former minister endorsed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered his ministers to rescue publicly listed PT Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex), the biggest textile company in Southeast Asia, after a commercial court in Semarang, Central Java, declared bankruptcy. Sritex’s rescue comes after a sequence of downfalls of many other textile companies.

Following their inauguration, members of President Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White Cabinet joined a boot camp at the Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java, which was aimed at building a team spirit before they started working together. It was claimed the retreat was important to create a shared understanding among the plus-size cabinet to stay in tune with Prabowo’s governing vision.

The recent formation of the National Police’s Corruption Eradication Corps (Kortas) by then president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo a few days before he stepped down on Oct. 20 has sparked a discourse about its potential to reshape the country’s antigraft campaign.

Historically, vice presidents in Indonesia rarely shone because their fate depended on how much space was given to them by the sitting president. Newly sworn-in Gibran Rakabuming Raka may end up as another “spare tire”, the popular term to describe vice presidents who held mostly ceremonial roles and who were lucky to be acknowledged in the footnotes of history books.

Luhut Pandjaitan, the former coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment under president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, was sworn in by President Prabowo Subianto on Oct. 21 alongside over 100 ministers, deputy ministers and minister-level officials in the newly expanded cabinet. A fellow retired general, Luhut has been named head of the National Economic Council (DEN) in Prabowo's administration, as well as presidential adviser on digitalization and governance technology. This appointment reinforces Luhut’s continued influence over Indonesia’s economic development.

Newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto has sworn in Indonesia’s largest cabinet since the New Order era, which features politicians from his large electoral alliance, technocrats and familiar faces from the previous cabinet. However, neither the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) nor the NasDem Party have any representatives in the bloated cabinet, despite their assurance of supporting or at least being friendly to the government.

President Prabowo Subianto’s appointment of Muliaman Hadad as the head of the newly established Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara) investment management agency has confused the public following the reappointment of Erick Thohir as state-owned enterprises (SOEs) minister. Both Muliaman and Erick are to manage 41 SOEs, with a single aim of establishing an SOEs super-holding company similar to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings.

Prabowo announced on Oct. 20 a 109-strong team that comprises 48 ministers, including seven coordinating ministers, 56 deputy ministers and five heads of government bodies.

President Prabowo Subianto has vowed to achieve energy self-sufficiency amid ongoing geopolitical tensions while emphasizing the country's abundance of renewable energy sources to develop greener power, such as biodiesel. However, Prabowo's aim could be overoptimistic, oversimplifying the real issues in Indonesia's energy sector.

Something was missing from President Prabowo Subianto’s inaugural speech before the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Sunday. He mentioned all his priority agendas, from energy and food self-sufficiency to human development, but nothing at all about the future capital of Nusantara, a signature project under his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chief Alexander Marwata is currently under investigation by the Jakarta Police following a public complaint regarding an alleged ethical violation. Such allegations of ethical breaches are not unprecedented within the antigraft body, further diluting its already diminishing credibility.

The House of Representatives has decided to expand the number of its commissions from 11 to 13, as well as form a new agency tasked with accommodating public aspirations, in anticipation of the ministries and agencies under the incoming administration of president-elect Prabowo Subianto.

Sri Mulyani Indrawati was once again appointed finance minister under newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto, making her the first to serve under three different presidents, despite her and Prabowo’s initial reluctance. As Sri Mulyani remains in her position, Prabowo will have to compromise and delay his plan to establish a national revenue collection agency.

They say all politics are local, but the elections for the heads of local governments this coming November will still determine the balance of power between the country’s three big political parties. Their interplay, either through competition or collaboration, or a combination of the two, will shape the national political landscape and the direction Indonesia takes.

Indonesia recorded a monthly deflation of 0.12 percent in September, marking the fifth consecutive month of deflation in 2024 and the sharpest decline in the last five years of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration. This trend unfolded despite Bank Indonesia’s mid-September decision to cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 6 percent.

The selection process of new Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders has entered the penultimate phase, marked by submission of a shortlist of 10 candidates to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Oct. 1. However, controversies remain, ranging from questions about Jokowi’s dominant role in the selection despite the fact that he will soon leave office, allegations of political interference, to doubts over the candidates’ qualifications.

The long-awaited meeting between president-elect Prabowo Subianto and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri is reportedly to take place before Prabowo takes office on Oct. 20. It is believed that the meeting will result in the PDI-P’s decision whether to stand with or in opposition to the incoming government. The outcome of the meeting could have a significant influence on the country’s political landscape.

As Jakarta prepares to lose its status as the capital city of Indonesia, it is striving to remain as the country’s main economic, financial and even cultural center. In short, it wants to be recognized as a “global city”.  It needs a governor that can lead the transformation, but the three candidates contesting the November gubernatorial election failed to impress in the recent first round of debates discussing the prospects of the global city.