October 20, 2024 was a momentous day for Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka as they took their oaths of office as president and vice president, stepping up to lead the great nation of Indonesia.
The nation was eager to see the two new leaders chart a fresh course in their first 100 days in office.
It was natural for members of the public to hold high expectations considering the promises Prabowo and Gibran made during their electoral campaign.
This was especially so considering the determination expressed by the two leaders to elevate the people’s living standards through people-oriented economic policies and efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency.
The 100-day mark was seen as a pivotal period for the pair to shape the nation’s impression, boosting people’s trust in their newly born administration.
In such a short amount of time, though, some key questions have surfaced: To what extent have Prabowo and Gibran delivered on their promises? Have their policies actually made a difference?
The president, on his part, has expressed elation over his administration’s performance within the time frame in question.
He celebrated the government’s feat of taming the prices of some essential goods and lowering domestic flight fares as well as the fees for Hajj pilgrimage services.
Acknowledging the significance of collaboration, the head of state stressed that he credits these achievements to the hard work and dedication of ministers and heads of state institutions.
The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) corroborated Prabowo’s self-evaluation, stating that the government has demonstrated genuine concern for maintaining a conducive business climate in Indonesia.
Apindo chairperson Shinta Kamdani opined that the President is aware of the importance of Indonesia’s business sector.
This is reflected by the government's decision to increase the value-added tax from 11 percent to 12 percent, but only for luxury goods, she said.
The move is seen as key to boosting business growth while protecting people’s purchasing power.
It would be an incomplete review to assess the performance of the government while overlooking one of its priority initiatives: the Free Nutritious Meals program, popularly called Makan Bergizi Gratis, or MBG.
Since kicking off the program on January 6, 2025, the government has been distributing free meals to schoolchildren, toddlers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers through at least 190 special kitchens established across 26 provinces.
Having set the target to cover as many as 83 million beneficiaries by the end of its term, the government is seeking to leverage the program as an instrument for enhancing people’s nutritional intake, addressing stunting, and stimulating the growth of local economies by empowering farmers and micro, small, and medium enterprises as suppliers of ingredients and materials for the program.
Economists, however, are puzzled about the government’s financial capacity to keep the program going until the end of its term in 2029.
It should be noted that while President Prabowo has called for slashing state spending by Rp306 trillion (US$18.7 billion), the budget required for the program in the initial year is estimated at USD4.39 billion, with a total of USD28 billion needed over five years.
Given this, experts are wondering whether or not it will be possible for Prabowo’s administration to fund its flagship program without cutting into other sectors or initiatives.
On top of that, the program’s effectiveness has been under scrutiny, especially after reports of uneven meal distribution across regions and delays in getting materials to some areas.
There are also indications that the government is struggling to get local farmers fully involved, which is supposed to be a key part of the program.
Further, without a solid food distribution system in place, the government may end up relying on large companies instead of empowering local farmers and businesses through the program, as it originally planned.
Food self-sufficiency
Besides the MBG program, Prabowo-Gibran’s administration has been stressing its determination to restore food self-sufficiency in Indonesia.
To achieve that goal, the government has rolled out a range of measures, including the Food Estate program that aims to open up at least 100 thousand hectares of new agricultural area in Merauke, South Papua.
In addition, the government has gone full throttle to ramp up rice, corn, and soybean production by improving irrigation infrastructure and encouraging the use of agricultural technologies by farmers.
However, it is vital that the government tackle some challenges that could get in the way of its food security mission, such as those related to land conversion, reliance on imported seeds and fertilizers, and fluctuating global food prices.
The Food Estate program could end up suffering the same grim fate as past initiatives if the government solely focuses on expanding agricultural land without building a solid agricultural ecosystem.
Some agricultural experts suggest that instead of pursuing land expansion, the government should fix its eyes on efforts to boost the productivity of existing lands.
This can be done by equipping farmers with reliable technologies, easing access to capital, and improving related distribution systems, they add.
Greenpeace Indonesia chairperson Leonard Simanjuntak has argued that President Prabowo’s push for self-sufficiency in food and energy through land expansion could lead to a surge in carbon emissions.
It could also trigger fires and haze in peatlands and put a stain on Indonesia’s commitment to climate and biodiversity, he cautioned.
Despite the doubts, in a survey conducted by Kompas R&D from January 4–10, 2025, 80.9 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the Prabowo-Gibran administration’s performance in its first 100 days in power.
The figure is rather favorable, representing the nation’s burgeoning trust in the government’s economic policies.
It is worth noting, though, that the positive reception of the government’s performance may have been fueled more by expectations and lip service than actual feats.
The genuine success of policies hinges heavily on how effectively the government manages budgets, executes programs, and stabilizes Indonesia’s economy.
One of the key things the government needs to watch out for is the potential impact of global energy and food price fluctuations on domestic prices.
So, it is crucial to be economically prudent when making decisions and avoiding moves oriented toward gaining popularity. This approach is necessary to prevent any negative consequences down the road.
In this context, the government must consider a number of strategic maneuvers to guarantee the proper execution of its people-oriented policies.
First, President Prabowo and his team should cater to the need for a solid mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness and transparency of the MBG program’s implementation.
That way, the government can ensure that all funds earmarked for the program are used as intended.
Second, initiatives intended for food self-sufficiency should be carried out in tandem with a comprehensive overhaul of agricultural policies and efforts to solidify the agribusiness ecosystem to embrace smallholders and cooperatives.
It is equally essential that the government offer economic stimuli without compromising on fiscal prudence.
Sans long-term vision and strategies, the government’s decision to cut state spending may hurt sectors fundamental to national economic growth instead.
For example, a drop in infrastructure and educational budgets could leave national economic competitiveness crippled in the long term.
During their 100 days of service, Prabowo and Gibran have indeed made some bold economic maneuvers.
Some challenges are still awaiting solutions, though.
The government should assure the public that its policies are driven by its commitment to serve the nation’s interest, rather than by a quest for political glory and popularity.
More importantly, the newly born administration must make all-out efforts to ensure that its policies can have continued and concrete impacts on society for years to come.
The people of Indonesia are eagerly waiting for Prabowo and Gibran to make good on their promises.
It is safe to say that the new leaders have laid a solid foundation in their first 100 days, as reflected in the results of the Kompas survey.
However, the true challenge they must overcome is that of consistency.
The nation demands that its new president and vice president stay true to their promises and commitment to progress for the rest of their term.
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Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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