JAKARTA — Dismissed from the military amid speculation of rights abuses, exiled in Jordan, and banned from travelling to the United States on account of his alleged dark past, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto is now in pole position to be Indonesia's next leader.
Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto gestures while attending a meeting of his Gerindra Party, in Bogor, Indonesia on Aug 12, 2022.
As the 72-year-old gears up for the election campaign, the numbers suggest his rebranding is working. Unable to run after serving the maximum two terms, Mr Widodo, better known as Mr Jokowi, has signalled he backs his once bitter enemy. Mr Jokowi defeated Mr Prabowo in the 2014 and 2019 elections. From an elite Indonesian family, Mr Prabowo's father was a prominent economist and cabinet minister under Mr Suharto, and his brother, Mr Hashim Djojohadikusumo, is a successful businessman. In 1983, the rising military star married Mr Suharto's daughter Siti Hediati Hariyadi, but they separated soon after the autocratic president was ousted in 1998."Prabowo's team is clearly portraying Prabowo in a 'softer' way in an effort to win over undecided voters.