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Jokowi may step down as president but don't expect him to slow down
Jokowi himself said he would fully retire and go back to his hometown in Surakarta, Central Java. Yet, we should not take this statement at face value, especially since his eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka is a vice-president elect for the 2024-2029 term.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (left) and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (right) chat before boarding the presidential aircraft on March 8, 2024. (The Jakarta Post/Antara)
T
here has been much speculation regarding the possibility of President Jokowi "Jokowi" Widodo staying on as a key player in national politics after president-elect Prabowo Subianto is inaugurated on Oct. 20 this year.
Jokowi himself said he would fully retire and go back to his hometown in Surakarta, Central Java. Yet, we should not take this statement at face value, especially since his eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka is the vice-president elect for the 2024-2029 term.
The fact that Prabowo and Gibran won the election in a landslide should be enough to convince him that he would be a much-needed help for Prabowo’s presidency.
At the same time, Prabowo has identified himself as a successor to Jokowi and has said he was committed to continuing his programs, a pledge that so far cements cordial ties between them for now and the future.
After being appointed as defense minister in 2019, Prabowo gave his total loyalty to Jokowi and in return, the President put greater trust in him.
That trust has yielded key projects for Prabowo, from running the megaproject food estate to modernizing the Indonesian Military's (TNI) weapons system.
Jokowi’s recent decision to bestow an honorary four-star general title to Prabowo is further proof of those close ties.
