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Analysis: Doubt looms over Gibran’s role in incoming administration
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In this picture taken on October 19, 2023, Solo Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo, attends a public hearing with members of the regional council in Solo, central Java. (AFP/Dika)
V
ice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka has been touring Jakarta amid his busy agenda as mayor of Surakarta, Central Java, stopping by Central Jakarta’s Tanah Tinggi subdistrict and Nangka Market as well as South Jakarta’s Manggis Market on July 3, accompanied by popular celebrity and TV host Raffi Ahmad. Earlier on June 28, he strolled along the Semanggi River in Tegal Alur, West Jakarta, alongside acting Jakarta governor Heru Budi Hartono.
During these visits, Gibran distributed milk and school supplies as social assistance, repeating a tactic he and Prabowo Subianto deployed to promote their free school lunch program while campaigning for the 2024 presidential election in February.
The eldest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said he was simply trying to get a clear picture about the country’s socioeconomic problems ahead of his inauguration on Oct. 20. However, some believe Gibran was actually campaigning for his younger brother and Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) chair Kaesang Pangarep, who might contest the Jakarta gubernatorial election, which Gibran has denied.
Notwithstanding the speculation, Gibran’s Jakarta visits have come as president-elect Prabowo steps up preparations for the transfer of power from the Jokowi administration via his so-called synchronization team. These preparations apparently do not involve Gibran or other political parties in Prabowo’s Onward Indonesia Coalition.
The synchronization team comprises elite members of his Gerindra Party, including deputy chairman Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, secretary-general Ahmad Muzani and treasurer Thomas Djiwandono, who is also Prabowo’s nephew.
The team met with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati on May 31 and plans to meet with other ministers of the Jokowi cabinet before Prabowo and Gibran’s inauguration, in an effort to help the new government start working immediately.
Gibran’s notable absence in the preparations has raised questions about his role in the incoming government. His recent visits to Jakarta suggest his lack of access to the Prabowo presidency’s master plan; otherwise, Prabowo would have involved his vice president-elect in the synchronization team or in regular meetings at the very least to discuss their government.
