By both unofficial (14 February) and official (20 March) accounts, the winner of the 2024 Presidential Election was the pair of Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka. In spite of the results challenged and disputed by rival camps in the Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi, MK), the Prabowo-Gibran camp has already started, slowly and steadily, to prepare the architecture of a 'new' government. It involves behind-the-scenes negotiations for ministerial positions and other strategic positions, with party bosses and alike, and obviously, with the blessing (not so open) of the incumbent President Jokowi whose popularity is still very high among the ordinary Indonesian public.
As an observer and a practitioner of the Indonesia-Australia relations for decades, in this talk, Dr Sulistiyanto shares his early observations on the tussles among political parties in the Prabowo-Gibran camp for three strategic ministerial positions (known as the triumvirate) including the ministers of defence, foreign affairs and home affairs. Dr Sulistiyanto will also provide his views on the role of Jokowi in shaping and influencing the formation of the Prabowo-Gibran government and beyond. Lastly, Dr Sulistiyanto poses questions as to how should Australia be expected and ready for the new government in Indonesia and how would Australia's geopolitical interests go hand-in-hand or in competition with that of Indonesia, in years or decades to come.
*Nibbles and drinks provided.
