Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto is systematically dismantling the direct democracy that brought him to power, according to senior lawmakers and internal government sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The former general who commands a 348-seat majority in the 580-member parliament is moving toward a model where regional leaders—governors, regents, and mayors—would be chosen by local parliaments rather than voters, ending two decades of direct elections across the archipelago's 38 provinces.
The shift, described in detail by a fifth-term member of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), represents what political scientists call bureaucratic authoritarianism—a civilian-military hybrid system familiar from Latin America's 1960s-90s era and Indonesia's own authoritarian past under Suharto.
Four Pillars of Control
Prabowo's governance model rests on military expansion, state-led economic development, populist programs, and centralized control of regional leadership.
The president has established 100 new Territorial Development Infantry Battalions and upgraded military commands across all services, placing two-star generals and admirals in positions previously held by one-star officers. The revised Armed Forces Law now permits active-duty military officers to hold civilian positions in 16 ministries—a restriction lifted specifically to accommodate what insiders describe as a "surplus officer problem."
Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Prabowo's de facto legislative enforcer, reportedly maintains files of "sensitive personal information" on lawmakers to ensure compliance. Known as "Don Dasco," he orchestrated the passage of nine laws in 2025, including controversial measures on mining and military authority that sparked public protests.
The economic pillar centers on Danantara, a state holding company controlling assets worth an estimated , modeled on 's Temasek. Combined with the planned Red and White Cooperatives—monopoly distributors of subsidized goods in thousands of villages—the structure relegates private enterprise to a supporting role.
