Indonesia’s re-elected President Joko Widodo has brought his worst adversary to the cabinet. The 58-year-old appointed today the former General Prabowo Subianto (68), who had defeated him in the presidential election in April, the new Minister of Defense. He explained that by saying, „He knows more about defense than me.“
Ex-General Prabowo is under criticism for human rights abuses. In the election six months ago, the former son-in-law of longtime dictator Suharto clearly lost to Joko. In the election campaign, both politicians had delivered a fierce argument. The two were already facing each other in the 2014 presidential election.
Celebrities in the government
Jokowi – the president’s calling name – had been sworn in for a second term on Sunday. In the Cabinet, there are more prominent newcomers: Minister of State Enterprises is now Erick Thohir, a former president of the Italian football league club Inter Milan. The Ministry of Education and Culture was taken over by the entrepreneur Nadiem Makarim, founder of the Indonesian taxi company Gojek.
With more than 260 million inhabitants – the vast majority of them Muslims – Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world.
