JAKARTA: Responding to calls for him to contest a second term nearly eight months into his presidency, Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto has said he will defend his position only if he achieves meaningful results in his first term.
Prabowo, 73, made the statement on Saturday (May 17) during a speech to his Gerindra party cadres at the national congress of its youth wing, Tunas Indonesia Raya, in Jakarta, when delegates voiced their support for a two-term presidency.
“I heard some of you say ‘Prabowo two terms’ … Please don’t talk about that yet. We have not even completed a year of this mandate,” he said at Hotel Borobudur, as quoted by local news outlet Jakarta Globe.
According to local media, the president’s remarks came amid growing political chatter within ruling circles about the 2029 presidential election.
Prabowo, a former defence minister, won last February’s presidential election on his third attempt and was inaugurated last October.
He reiterated that fulfilling promises, not political longevity, was his top priority.
“If I assess that I have not achieved what I set out to do, I will not run again,” he added. “I won’t seek re-election if I feel I’ve failed.”
He has set an ambitious target of achieving annual economic growth of 8 per cent by the end of his first term, up from the current rate of about 5 per cent.
Measures his government has taken to support this goal include the launch of the Danantara sovereign wealth fund.
He has also slashed the state budget by about US$44 billion, reportedly channelling some of the savings to his free nutritious meal initiative.
“WILL NOT BACK DOWN” IN ANTI-GRAFT DRIVE
On Saturday, Prabowo also vowed that his government’s anti-graft crackdown will continue, despite law enforcement officers facing intimidation while investigating corruption cases.
“I’ve received some reports. Some have had people come to their homes, their cars followed, even photographed … But let me be clear: We will not back down. I will not back down.”
He claimed that hundreds of trillions of rupiah in state assets have been recovered in the first six months of his term.
Leaders of his party’s youth wing, including chairwoman Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo, who is also his niece, pledged full support should Prabowo run again.
“His vision is clear – zero extreme poverty, 8 per cent economic growth – and he is already acting on it,” Saraswati said on Saturday.
“In four-and-a-half years, we believe the foundation for a strong economy will be laid, regardless of global challenges.”
Saraswati expressed enthusiasm for continuity, adding that her youth wing is confident that voters will reward Prabowo for early initiatives such as the free nutritious meals and affordable housing programmes as well as efforts to achieve agricultural self-sufficiency.
The chairman of the youth wing also added that it would not propose a vice-presidential candidate and would defer to Prabowo’s judgement.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-president-prabowo-subianto-second-term-gibran-reelection-5139031
