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"Of all presidents, Jokowi contributes the most to TNI": Prabowo
Speaking in an event at the Halim Perdanakusumah Military Airbase in East Jakarta, Prabowo, who is also chairman of the Gerindra Party and Jokowi's former rival in the 2019 presidential election, said that the President had done much to boost the country's minimum essential forces.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (left) and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (center) converse with a pilot who flies the brand new Hercules C-130 at the Halim Perdanakusumah Airfield on March 8. (The Jakarta Post/BAI/Agus Suparto)
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efense Minister Prabowo Subianto heaped praise on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Wednesday, saying that the incumbent had done more than any other president in improving the Indonesian Military's (TNI) capabilities.
Speaking at an event at the Halim Perdanakusumah Military Airbase in East Jakarta, Prabowo, who is also chairman of the Gerindra Party and Jokowi’s former rival in the 2019 presidential election, said that the President had done much to boost the country's minimum essential forces.
"From what I have seen, the support from Pak Jokowi has been the greatest in the history of our defense sector," Prabowo told reporters.
The former TNI general said that President Jokowi had been very supportive of the ministry's weapon procurement projects even while the country was beset by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"He [the President] had his own priorities. We were dealing with COVID-19 which was very dangerous. The people's safety was his priority," Prabowo said.
The relationship between Jokowi and Prabowo has deepened in the past few months, with the two politicians making statements praising each other’s achievements.
In January, during a leadership meeting of the Defense Ministry, Jokowi called on Prabowo to coordinate the work of collecting intelligence information carried out by a wide range of institutions, from the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), the intelligence departments of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and that of the National Police to the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN).
