Prabowo urges unity in first cabinet meeting

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, chairing his first cabinet meeting, emphasized the need for government efficiency and cabinet unity, with a strong focus on food and energy self-sufficiency.

"Food self-sufficiency is a priority considering the global situation. Energy self-sufficiency is absolute," Prabowo was quoted by local media tempo.co as saying.

He urged cabinet members to streamline their operations and cut costs and red tape, while maintaining unity within both the cabinet and the nation.

The president is taking his cabinet to a military academy in Central Java for a retreat aimed at fostering solidarity.

He has promised free, nutritious meals for schoolchildren and special care for pregnant women, a topic that has sparked widespread public discussion.

"Nutritious meals for pregnant women and children is strategic. Anyone who does not support this please get out of my administration," Prabowo said at the meeting.

All 48 ministers and 12 ministerial-level officials attended the meeting, except for Foreign Minister Sugiono, who is attending the three-day BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, as the president's special envoy.

Although Indonesia is not a member of BRICS, its participation in the group's events aims to stress Indonesia's long-standing commitment to strengthening relations with all countries and reinforcing the unity of the Global South, Sugiono's office said in a statement on Tuesday.

Analysts expect Prabowo to continue his predecessor's policy of nonalignment as Indonesia seeks to balance relations with major global powers.

James Chin, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania in Australia, said Indonesia "has always been the voice of the Third World (and) developing countries".

"So I don't expect (Prabowo's) policy to be very different from former president Joko Widodo," Chin said, adding Prabowo will likely maintain Widodo's stance on strengthening economic cooperation with others, including China.

Radityo Dharmaputra, a lecturer on international relations at Airlangga University in East Java, said Prabowo's visits to countries such as China, France, Japan and Russia highlight the importance he places on maintaining balanced relations among major powers.

Rezha Bayu Oktavian Arief, co-founder and CEO of Jakartabased social enterprise and advisory firm Obviously Sustainable, said Prabowo is expected to continue policies on commitment to nonalignment, promotion of regional stability among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and strengthening Indonesia's role as ASEAN's largest country.

Key source

And Prabowo's campaign promise to boost the downstream industries and achieve an 8 percent GDP growth "will likely lead him to see China as a key source of investment for the large-scale projects he envisions", Arief said.

These include initiatives such as the potential development of a giant seawall from Jakarta to Surabaya, collaborations under the Belt and Road Initiative, and expanding partnerships in the electric vehicle industry, he added.

In his inaugural speech after being sworn in as Indonesia's eighth president on Sunday, Prabowo underscored Indonesia's independent and active foreign policy.

"We do not want to join any military pacts; we choose the path of friendship with all countries," Prabowo said.

He also said Indonesia adheres to the principles of anti-colonialism, anti-oppression and anti-racism, and supports the independence of the Palestinian people, as Indonesia "must defend the oppressed peoples of the world".

Prime Sarmiento in Hong Kong contributed to this story.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.