TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Analysis: Shadow leadership, Jokowi’s attempt to cling to power
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Clean campaign: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) and his challenger in this year’s presidential election, Prabowo Subianto, walk hand-in-hand during an event held in Jakarta on Sept. 23, 2018, in which they vowed to combat hoaxes and ethnic, religious, racial and ideological sentiments during the campaign period. (The Jakarta Post/Wendra Ajistyatama)
T
he influence of former president Joko ‘’Jokowi’’ Widodo on the government of his successor President Prabowo Subianto looks to remain intact, despite the former’s promise to stop creating an image of shadow leadership in the country.
The phenomenon is reflected in the recent visits of several cabinet members, including Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Wahyu Sakti Trenggono, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Coordinating Food Minister Zulkifli Hasan, to Jokowi’s residence in Surakarta, Central Java. Budi even referred to Jokowi as “boss” during his visit.
They served in the cabinet during Jokowi’s presidency in 2019-2024, and were appointed by President Prabowo to ministerial posts to align with his commitment to continuity. Many believe, however, it was Jokowi who proposed them to Prabowo in return for his role in helping Prabowo win the 2024 election.
The ministers visited Jokowi when Prabowo was touring Turkey and the Middle East to forge cooperation in various fields and consolidate support for a plan to evacuate wounded Palestinians from war-torn Gaza to Indonesia recently.
Not only is Jokowi popular among current cabinet members, but he is also being highly praised by several regional leaders, such as Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi and East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, who also paid a visit to Jokowi during the Idul Fitri holidays.
Both Luthfi and Khofifah, considered as Jokowi’s close allies, contested the November 2024 regional elections with Prabowo’s support.
Jokowi is reportedly searching for a political vehicle to maintain his clout after he was dismissed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) early this year. He has long been linked to a move to the Golkar Party, the second biggest party in the House, after his loyalist, Bahlil Lahadalia, now the energy and mineral resources minister, took over the party’s chief post last year.
