Perhaps one of the most surprising names is that of Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto, who has been chosen to lead the Defense Ministry despite being Jokowi’s staunch opponent in both the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections. 

His appointment to the Defense Ministry ─ a key post tasked with formulating the general national defense strategy ─ has also been met by criticism from human rights activists and experts who have pointed to Prabowo's checkered military career and questioned whether he was the right person to lead a ministry that should spearhead military reforms.

Speaking to journalists at the State Palace, Jokowi said that he had decided to include Prabowo — alongside another Gerindra executive Edhy Prabowo — in his Cabinet because the concept of opposition did not exist in Indonesia’s democracy, which he said embodied the spirit of gotong royong (mutual cooperation). 

“If it’s good for the country and for the nation, why not?” Jokowi said on Thursday afternoon, adding that he had chosen the former Army general as defense minister because Prabowo “has experience in the field.”

Prabowo and Edhy were among 17 political party representatives among the 38 members of Jokowi’s second-term Cabinet, the remainder comprising nonpartisan picks, including those with professional backgrounds such as Erick Thohir and Nadiem Makarim.

The appointment of Nadiem, founder of the country’s first decacorn GoJek, to take the helm of the Education and Culture Ministry has however been met with mixed reactions, as many people had initially expected him to play a more significant role in boosting the country’s digital economy.

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