Thomas Rizal & Roy Adriansyah, Jakarta – President-elect Prabowo Subianto's cabinet will assume the role as successors to the 7th President of Indonesia, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka has affirmed that his father, Jokowi, will refrain from involvement in the composition of Prabowo's cabinet.
"We, the Indonesian Maju Coalition, without hesitation and shame, declare that we are the successors of President Joko Widodo," said Prabowo during a gathering and iftar event in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Monday.
According to Prabowo, a good nation is one that respects its leaders. He also emphasized his respect for previous presidents and committed to rectifying any remaining shortcomings.
"Our goal is clear. We build on the foundation laid by our predecessors, by the presidents before us. We acknowledge and respect them, and are determined to address any deficiencies," he stated.
Meanwhile, Prabowo's running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, dispelled speculation about President Jokowi's involvement in selecting ministers for the upcoming Prabowo-Gibran cabinet. Gibran asserted that the decision on ministerial appointments rests solely with Prabowo as the president-elect.
According to Gibran, the decision on ministerial appointments is entirely Prabowo's prerogative as the president-elect. "It's Prabowo who will decide," said Gibran.
However, Gibran stated that Jokowi could provide his views if asked. Nevertheless, the determination of ministers in the next cabinet remains within Prabowo's jurisdiction.
Gibran also revealed his involvement in discussions regarding the cabinet with Prabowo. "Definitely," he added.
Gibran claimed to have discussed the next cabinet with Prabowo after being declared the winner of the presidential election some time ago.
The gathering and iftar event was also attended by several leaders of political parties in the Indonesia Maju Coalition, including the Chairman of the Golkar Party Airlangga Hartarto, the Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Zulkifli Hasan, and the Chairman of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) Yusril Ihza Mahendra. National figures, such as Aburizal Bakrie and Hatta Rajasa, were also present.
On March 20, the KPU declared Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka as the elected presidential pair in the 2024 Presidential Election with a total of 96,214,691 votes, surpassing the pair of Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar with 40,971,906 votes, and the pair of Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD with 27,040,878 votes.