March 13, 2025
Jakarta – Five months after his resignation from the country, former President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has been meeting with many government officials and politicians, raising questions about the extent of his impact on successor President Prabowo Subianto.
Jokowi left the office in October 2024 after a decade of the president, where he hosted ministers and other government figures in his private residence in his hometown of Surakarta, Java.
One of the latest meetings was on March 7, when Prabowo’s brother and top adviser Hashim Djojohadikusumo spoke with the former president for two hours, including the country’s financial situation.
Hashem told reporters that he had been invited by Jokowi, “We discussed and exchanged ideas about the country and the country. I also received some really valuable suggestions.”
He added that Prabowo had greeted his ex and expressed his hope that the two politicians can meet in the “next future.”
However, Jokovi claimed that he did not talk about politics when he met with Hashem.
Also read: Jokowi Prabowo, Jokowi's United Front at Gerindra Events
The former president not only met with officials. He had a video call with Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni on March 4, covering energy and food security. The minister said they discussed Areca Palm and its potential as a sustainable fuel source.
“Jokowi is currently interacting with a community in Kendall to see the areca palm forest they grow,” the minister wrote on his Instagram account.
“like Parker President Prabowo pays attention to betel nut palm for energy and food resilience, Parker Jokowi is also working to promote empowerment of villagers’ communities through betel nut palm.
Among the numerous officials who have made recent visits to Jokowi, food minister Zulkifli Hasan, energy and mineral resources minister Bahlil Lahadalia and Investment, and downstream minister Rosan Roeslani can be coordinated.
Since the inauguration in October 2024, Prabowo himself has met with his ex many times. The former army will run against Gibran Rakabuming Raka, son of Jokovi, in the 2024 presidential election, and observers attribute their victory to the former president’s Tachit support.
Still influential
Political analyst Adi Prayitno said the number of officials visiting Jokowi indicates he is in a “special” position in the Prabowo government.
“Hashem can be seen as a representative of the Prabowo League itself, so it is fair to speculate that people are likely to be discussing the economy could lead to,” he said on Wednesday.
He suggested that Hashim and Jokowi’s discussion at Surakarta were related to Prabowo’s meeting with the country’s top businessman at the state palace on the same day, with U.S. investor and HEDGE fund manager Raymon Thomas Dalio also attending.
Also read: “Don't cross the line”: Jokowi tells son Gibran
Adid believes such a meeting violates early expectations that the former president would lose influence after leaving office without a political party.
Jokowi, who parted ways with the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI-P), threw his weight behind Prabowo in the presidential election instead of the party’s nominee, former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo. The Nationalist Party, the only party that effectively opposes the Prabowo government, announced the dismissal of Jokowi in December.
“These visits from ministers show that he still retains power, his recommendations are still sought after and believe it is important for future strategic policies under the current government,” Adidi said.
Warm friendship
Kennedy Muslim, an analyst at Indikator Politik Indonesia, said the phenomenon stems from the affectionate relationship between Prabowo and Jokowi.
“So far, we've seen Prabowo remain friendly with Jokowi, which is consistent with the former's reputation for loyalty and know how to repay his ex, who played a major role in helping him win the election,” Kennedy said.
He added that as public trust in government is being tested by a series of controversy, the two politicians “still need each other” for political consolidation and stability.
Although Prabowo and his administration have been criticized recently during the first three months of his tenure, he has since then reduced budgets for programs that many believe are invalid.
Jokowi's involvement in the current administration is also considered part of Prabowo's inclusive approach to all the main characters in his Chase Alliance. The former president recently served as a seat on the monitoring board of the country's new sovereign wealth fund along with former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
“It is not difficult to read Prabowo's political approach, which tends to take national unity of all parties and states as the political ideology of the state,” Kennedy said.
Also Read: Growth Dissent enables Prabowo’s Leadership to Test
Analysts suggest that if the current president’s approval rate starts to deteriorate and the economic situation, the real test of the relationship between the two politicians may take place in the future.
“Only time will tell if [such a situation] It can crack their friendly relationship. ”
