President Prabowo Subianto's strongman image wins people’s approval despite his struggle to implement programs.
resident Prabowo Subianto’s leadership style, with his knack for powerful speeches and fondness for the military, has set him apart from his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in his first 100 days in office.
Despite a pledge of continuity, observers suggest Indonesia’s new leader has embarked on a mission that seemingly departs from the previous era’s legacy.
While his predecessor focused on domestic policies and showed reluctance to go abroad and engage with foreign policies, Prabowo has already embarked on a series of foreign trips to major countries including China, the United States, Brazil and India.
Prabowo’s departure continued with Indonesia’s rapid accession to BRICS membership this month, which was not seen as a priority by Jokowi. Indonesia has become the first Southeast Asian country to become a permanent member in the group of emerging economies, surpassing Malaysia and Thailand, which have shown similar interest.
The new administration of Prabowo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s first son, hit its 100-day mark on Tuesday.
Prabowo so far has received an overwhelmingly positive approval rating of around 80 percent, according to pollsters Indikator Politik Indonesia and Litbang Kompas. The figure is about 18 percentage points higher than that of Jokowi in his first few months as president in 2015 and five percentage points higher than his rating at the end of his administration last year.
The high approval rating was achieved regardless of the fact that Prabowo is still struggling to implement his flagship programs, including free nutritious meals for all schoolchildren and pregnant women.
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