Prabowo Subianto Forms Indonesia’s Biggest Cabinet Ever with Over 100 Ministers

In a surprising move, Indonesia's new President Prabowo Subianto has unveiled the country's biggest cabinet to date, with a whopping 109 ministers appointed.

The cabinet, dubbed the “Red and White Cabinet” after Indonesia's national colors, dwarfs the 34-member team under predecessor Joko Widodo.

Subianto, who was sworn in as Indonesia's eighth president last week, stated the cabinet's large size was necessary to create a “strong government” that could unite the diverse nation and represent its many political voices.

Analysts noted it allows him to reward the seven-party coalition that backed his election victory in February.

Several ministers from Widodo's cabinet were also retained.

A key reason for the cabinet's enormity appears to be Subianto's stated goal of accelerating Indonesia's economic growth to 8% annually through ambitious spending plans.

These include salary hikes for civil servants, free school meals for 83 million children, and defense budget increases.

To implement such broad programs, a huge team of ministers will be required.

Some familiar faces staying on include respected Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, the first person to hold the post under three separate presidencies.

Other returnees are the ministers of trade, energy, state firms and interior.

Indrawati's stewardship of the economy through various crises has made her a key stabilizing presence.

Interestingly, Subianto had been a political rival of Widodo for years but did not contest his 2019 reelection defeat, even serving as his defense chief later.

This paved the way for the unlikely alliance that saw Widodo tacitly endorse Subianto's recent candidacy.

With his new giant cabinet, Indonesia's new leader is clearly ambitious in scale – whether this gamble to leverage broad coalition support pays off remains to be seen.

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