Jakarta. Indonesia is officially entering a new era as the country’s eighth president Prabowo Subianto took office on Oct. 20, 2024. 

For the next five years, Prabowo -- alongside his vice president Gibran Rakabuming Raka -- will lead Southeast Asia’s largest economy with a population size of over 270 million people. 

In his inaugural presidential speech, Prabowo promised that he and Gibran would do their best to serve the nation, saying that the interests of the people should come first.

“Courage” dominated Prabowo’s speech. By courage, Indonesia must dare to accept the fact that there are so many problems -- including the massive public corruption -- that the country needs to address, according to the 73-year-old politician. 

“Don’t get too satisfied just yet when we see the statistics, … or just because the G20 countries accepted us, and Indonesia gained the status as the 16th largest global economy. Do we really see the full picture of what is happening in our country?” Prabowo spoke before his predecessors and world leaders at the national legislature complex on Sunday.

The former army general then pointed out how many Indonesians today are living in poverty. Countless Indonesian kids struggle with poor nutrition, and many are still unemployed or have low-paying jobs. 

“Don’t be like an ostrich who hides its head when it encounters something it does not like. We have to stand tall and face these challenges with courage. We must come together to find a solution and a way out,” Prabowo said.

Prabowo got more fired up in the second half of his speech, saying that "power belongs to the people".

“Every leader at all levels must always remember that they work for the people. We are not working for our personal gains, relatives or our bosses. A leader must work for his people,” Prabowo added, even sparking a standing ovation.

Prabowo clinched a landslide victory after winning 58.6 percent of the votes in the presidential election, beating Ex Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and Former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo. Prabowo’s inauguration also marked the end of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo era after being in power for a decade.

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