Last week, in Indonesia, former general Prabowo Subianto did not move heaven and earth again against the presidential recount. The reason is that this time he has won them. On the street, according to projections.
The peace of the warrior, for someone who has been trying to democratically take over the reins of the State for two decades. But someone who had previously sent tanks to Jakarta in the name of "what's wrong with me."
His victory further obscures the memory of the repressive and corrupt regime of General Suharto, his father-in-law, whom he served as commander of the special forces.
So the next G-20 summits will have the dubious honor of having a former military man with a murky past and nebulous purposes, at the head of the fourth most populous country on the planet.
Despite his privileges, Subianto, like other populists, presents himself as someone outside the elite and who “speaks clearly.” But unlike Jair Bolsonaro or Javier Milei, he is not a mere admirer of military dictatorships, but someone who played a leading role in their repressive apparatus.
In 1998, the death rattles of Suharto's New Order were also those of his military career. This had distinguished itself against the insurgency, with tactics learned at the School of the Americas.
In East Timor, for example, it was about pitting some Timorese against others. But the Kraras massacre and the excesses of his thugs put his American interlocutors on alert.
He was also accused of sponsoring a new wave of violence against the wealthy Chinese minority, to distract attention and save Suharto, after the 1997 crisis. But what tried the patience of the US embassy was the kidnapping and torture of 23 student leaders, 13 of whom never reappeared.
It is true that there are those who hope that some democracy has already rubbed off on the old lion – Prabowo is 72 years old. In the same way that he saw the world and learned languages as a child, when his father – Minister of Finance, then privatizer – had to go into exile after the first coup against Sukarno failed.
So, after falling from grace, Prabowo returned abroad. He would not return to Indonesia until twenty years ago, with the intention of being a candidate for Golkar, which was Suharto's party. Failing to do so, he founded his own party, Gerindra, and ran in 2009 as the vice presidential candidate of Megawati, Sukarno's daughter, also without success.
Finally, he had the great anger of losing two duels with someone who came out of nowhere, like Joko Widodo, “Jokowi”. In a surprising arrangement, he appointed him Minister of Defense in 2019, after also having reconciled with Islamist elements.
Jokowi will leave in October with sky-high popularity, but he has disappointed those who hoped for a review of the Suharto dictatorship. His plan to enlist Prabowo and use his son Gibran – vice president – as a handbrake may not stand the test of reality.
But the billionaire brother who finances Prabowo promises continuity in good relations with the US, France or China. The green economy has brought Indonesia out of the corner and now the general wants to give it a voice. Of command.
