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View all search resultsTime to move from vision to mission
Following a dramatic campaign and a dynamic start to his presidency, Prabowo and his administration must now get down to the nitty-gritty or risk losing both momentum and trust.
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President Prabowo Subianto (center) addresses reporters on April 29, 2025, after Danantara’s first town hall meeting at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Central Jakarta. (JP/Ruth Dea Juwita)
W
hen President Prabowo Subianto assumed power on Oct. 20 a year ago, he soon made clear that economic policymaking would not be business as usual. A massive shift in budget funds just a few months into his term showed that the former defense minister was more concerned about his election promises than policy continuity.
The new state asset fund Danantara and his flagship free nutritious meal program are so costly that deep cuts had to be made across ministries and other government institutions.
Moreover, the President and his team have proved to be quite serious about the 8 percent gross domestic product growth target that many had dismissed as election hyperbole.
Ambition is the first word that comes to mind when looking back at the past year of economic leadership under Prabowo, which also is reflected in the national housing program, the regional development strategy and Indonesia’s energy transition timeline.
Yet after 365 days, many observers and investors remain unconvinced about the realism of some of his bold promises.
Promise first, plan later appears to be the Prabowo administration’s approach, and there is no doubt it excels at the first part.
That’s actually not a bad thing. The country needs a vision, and the President must communicate and embody that. Who wants a government that doesn’t aim high?
