Prabowo’s First 100 Days Raise Hopes, Eyebrows

Populist programs boost public satisfaction, civil libertarians worry about threat to democracy

By: Ainur Rohmah

President Prabowo Subianto today reaches the 100-day mark of his new administration amid a blaze of policies and programs and political maneuvers that have drawn both positive and negative public responses, and deep concerns that the 73-year-old onetime general is eroding Indonesia’s experiment with democracy.

When the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle’s, (PDIP’s) general chair Megawati Sukarnoputri recently expressed her support – although there has been no official announcement – that meant there may be no more opposition parties in parliament, leaving the government free from political opponents. The government is supported by a coalition controlling nearly 81 percent of parliamentary seats.

The PDIP's stance, say local media sources, may be motivated by the investigation of a corruption case involving PDIP's secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto by the Corruption Eradication Commission, which could shake the existence of the party, the biggest in the country. Party officials alleged in late December that political motives were behind the decision to name Hasto as a corruption suspect. PDIP central committee member Ronny Talapessy told reporters the probe began shortly after Hasto openly criticized a Constitutional Court ruling that enabled Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of former President Joko Widodo, to run successfully for vice president as Prabowo’s running mate.

On taking office, Prabowo named a huge “Red and White” cabinet of more than 100 individuals including 48 ministers, five cabinet-level officials, 55 vice-ministers and numerous senior advisers, envoys, and agency heads, an indication of his aggressive consolidation of power, neutralizing whatever opposition there might be and raising unwelcome recollections of the bloated Guided Democracy cabinet of his onetime father-in-law, the late Suharto, who ran the country with an iron and deeply corrupt hand for 31 years until he was ousted in 1998, allowing a nascent democracy to flourish. Prabowo himself was fired from the military after it was found he was involved in the abduction and torture of pro-democracy activists, many of whom never turned up, and other human rights abuses. He was barred from entering the US for years over the allegations.

“The American military thought highly of him,” mused an American source. “Also the spooks. The embassy and State were less bullish.”

Despite those concerns among civil libertarians, recent surveys indicate that the greatest satisfaction with the administration comes from the lower economic class (84.7 percent), while higher-income groups express a more modest 67.9 percent approval. Populist programs such as his Free Nutritious Meals (MBG), free health checkups, and debt relief for small and medium enterprises are credited with boosting public satisfaction. Some political figures believe Prabowo’s administration has performed better than that of its predecessor, Joko Widodo although critics say civil liberties have been curtailed, marked by repression, impunity, and the criminalization of activists. Controversial statements made by Prabowo, such as calls for pardoning corrupt individuals and proposals for indirect local elections, have further fueled doubts about the administration’s commitment to democracy.

The free lunch program, one of the standout initiatives of the presidential campaign, has principled goals but faces significant implementation challenges. The program aims to provide nutritious meals to vulnerable groups including 15 million children, students, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. The government has allocated Rp71 trillion for the program in the 2025 state budget, but that only covers January to June, assuming Rp10,000 per serving. By year-end, costs are projected to reach Rp420 trillion (US$25.90 billion), more than 10 percent of the entire US$226 billion fiscal budget. The program’s launch on January 6, serving 600,000 students across 26 provinces, has faced criticism regarding the quantity, nutritional quality, delivery accuracy, and food menu.

The president’s fight against the land mafia – organized groups of individuals, often including corrupt officials, who illegally seize control of land – and efforts to reduce stunting in children have been particularly well-received.

Ahead of his first 100 days, Prabowo set an ambitious target for economic growth of 8 percent. “Fuel prices are under control, food prices are under control, and for the first time in the Republic’s history, plane ticket prices may decrease,” the president said. According to the Litbang Kompas survey, conducted between January 4 and 10, and involving 1,000 randomly selected respondents from across Indonesia. 78.4 percent of respondents rated Prabowo’s leadership positively, while only 3.7 percent rated it negatively. Meanwhile, 70.6 percent rated Gibran's leadership positively, while 14.2 percent were critical.

However, Greenpeace Indonesia and the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), an organization focused on economic research and public policy aimed at promoting equitable economic growth, sustainable practices, and digital innovation, argue that the government’s policies are reinforcing Jokowi’s legacy, benefiting oligarchs at the expense of the public and the environment. The administration has also been accused of reverting to old patterns, opting for quick fixes that fail to address deep structural issues.

Celios also noted that the leadership had made significant changes in Indonesia’s foreign policy, announcing Indonesia’s decision to join BRICS, and signaling an effort to recalibrate its global alliances. That has been criticized for risking Indonesia’s economic and geopolitical independence without clear economic benefits. Prabowo's leadership style, which prioritizes bilateral cooperation with major powers such as China and the United States, reflects his ambition to position Indonesia as a key player in global geopolitics although he selected a crony, Sugiono, a Gerindra loyalist with no foreign policy experience, as his foreign minister.

He created huge waves internationally by implicitly recognizing that Indonesia shares an “overlapping claim” with China over the South China Sea, an indirect assertion that Beijing, has a legitimate claim to some of Indonesia’s Natuna area, nearly 2,800 km away from Hainan, China’s closest point geographically. In 2016, a United Nations arbitral tribunal adjudicating the Philippines’ case against China ruled overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines, determining that major elements of China’s claim—including its nine-dash line, recent land reclamation activities, and other activities in Philippine waters—were unlawful under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. That ruling has been embraced by most of the South China Sea littoral nations in defiance of China, and Prabowo’s own foreign ministry.

The target of 8 percent economic growth is seen as overly ambitious amid ongoing economic weaknesses. From May to September 2024, Indonesia experienced five consecutive months of deflation, and 80,000 workers in labor-intensive sectors such as textiles and footwear lost their jobs due to weak supervision of cheap imported goods. Meanwhile, the government's promotion of downstream industries has been criticized for providing minimal economic benefits and causing significant environmental damage.

“Prabowo's era of downstreaming is still stuck in primary processing, which is poorly correlated with efforts to prevent premature deindustrialization. Smelter development continues alongside coal-fired power plants in industrial zones, but the share of the manufacturing sector in GDP remains below 20 percent. This downstream policy requires significant revision. Air pollution, health risks, and workplace accidents due to mining downstreaming are making communities more vulnerable,” said Bhima Yudhistira, Executive Director of Celios.

Greenpeace Indonesia has also criticized the government’s plan to convert 20 million hectares of forest land for food and energy self-sufficiency, raising concerns about Indonesia’s commitment to climate and biodiversity goals. This conversion threatens the environment, accelerates biodiversity loss, and harms indigenous and local communities who depend on the forests. Leonard Simanjuntak, Head of Greenpeace Indonesia, called Prabowo's food and energy sovereignty plan an illusion. “Opening up land will clearly increase carbon emissions, including triggering fires and haze, especially in peatland areas. Equating palm oil plantations with Indonesia’s rich forest biodiversity is a grave mistake,” he said.

After announcing the controversial plan to transform 20 million hectares of forest, Prabowo issued a presidential regulation that has been criticized for its militaristic approach, evident in the appointment of the Defense Minister and the National Military (TNI) to manage “forest enforcement.” Militarism under the guise of forest enforcement “could add to the long list of state repression against indigenous and local communities who have lived and worked around forests, as seen in the ongoing food and energy estate project in Merauke, South Papua,” said Simanjuntak.