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 $1 trillion, modeled on Singapore'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.
Prabowo's signature Free Nutritious Meals Program received a budget increase from 71 trillion rupiah ($4.2 billion) in 2025 to 335 trillion rupiah ($21 billion) in 2026, despite food poisoning incidents during the initial rollout. The military administers the program jointly with civilian officials.
Eliminating Rivals
The Attorney General's Office, backed by military intelligence, has accelerated corruption investigations targeting regional leaders. Six heads of regions faced charges when this analysis began; by January 2026, that number had grown. The Regent of Bekasi fell to bribery allegations, followed by the Regent of Pati.
The pattern, according to PDI-P sources, aims to demonstrate that direct elections produce corrupt leaders—building public support for parliamentary selection of regional officials.
Prabowo's predecessor and former rival, Joko Widodo, rose from mayor of Solo to president precisely through the direct election system Prabowo now seeks to dismantle. Widodo, whose son serves as Prabowo's vice president, has faced year-long allegations of diploma fraud—allegations Prabowo has conspicuously declined to address.
Dedi Mulyadi, West Java's popular governor with 8.7 million YouTube subscribers and videos drawing hundreds of thousands of daily views, represents the type of charismatic regional leader the new system would neutralize.
Cabinet Dysfunction
Prabowo's 103-member cabinet—among Indonesia's largest ever—suffers from internal rivalries and information bottlenecks that delayed government responses to floods in Sumatra and riots in Jakarta last September.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, a Taruna High School classmate of Prabowo, controls information flow to prevent the president from being "disappointed or overwhelmed," according to government insiders. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Sjafrie Samsoeddin and parliamentary fixer Dasco compete for influence despite mutual antipathy.
Former Ambassador to the United States Dino Patti Djalal has publicly criticized Foreign Minister Sugiono's management, an unusual breach in Indonesia's typically discrete diplomatic circles.
External Endorsement
Wang Huning, Chairman of China's National People's Congress, visited Jakarta in December 2025 with pledges of major investment in oil, gas, coal, palm oil, and the Bandung-Surabaya high-speed rail extension.
During meetings with parliamentary leaders, Wang conveyed that China's rapid development required setting aside democratic constraints—an implicit endorsement of Prabowo's authoritarian trajectory, according to lawmakers present.
With the United States under President Trump unlikely to object—Prabowo maintains strong personal rapport with the American leader—external pressure against Indonesia's democratic backsliding appears minimal.
The legislation to end direct regional elections is expected sometime in 2026. Ten countries, 700 million people, one region—and for Indonesia's 280 million citizens, the question is whether the democratic experiment that began in 1998 is entering a prolonged authoritarian winter.
