Prabowo, who assumed office late last year, has faced renewed questions about the loyalty of his cabinet after a steady stream of his ministers who are allied with Jokowi was seen visiting the former president in his residence in Surakarta, Central Java, in recent weeks.

Adding to the controversy, two ministers visiting Jokowi two weeks ago for an Idul Fitri event publicly referred to the former president as their “boss” despite them now serving under Prabowo. The visits took place when Prabowo was away for his five-country tour of the Middle East and amid rumors of an imminent cabinet reshuffle after Idul Fitri, which the Presidential Palace and Prabowo’s Gerindra Party had denied.

The wave of visits to the former president has extended beyond incumbent ministers, with top military and police generals, as well as regional leaders, including East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, being among the latest visitors last week.

Gerindra secretary-general Ahmad Muzani has defended the ministers’ visits to Jokowi, whose son is Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as part of the Idul Fitri tradition of visiting elders, saying that: “There is no issue of [dual loyalty]. The cabinet remains solid.”

Jokowi’s influence

Analyst Nicky Fahrizal from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), however, believes the visits are more than mere courtesy calls and that they represent Jokowi’s lingering influence despite no longer holding office.