Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto said Wednesday that there was nothing wrong with having many of his predecessor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's ministers in his cabinet.

He even said that replacing Jokowi's ministers would be unnecessary if they continue to do a good job. 

When Prabowo assumed power a few months ago, the retired army general made an expected move to set up a cabinet with many returning ministers. Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani were reappointed to the same ministerial posts. The same goes for State-Owned Enterprise Minister Erick Thohir. This was somewhat unsurprising as Prabowo had vowed to continue Jokowi's policies when he ran for president. The promise of continuity had also helped Prabowo secure a landslide victory in the February 2024 election. 

Prabowo has just launched Indonesia's first-ever gold bullion banks, something that he said had taken over four years to prepare. In other words, the preparatory work had already been underway when Jokowi was still in office.

These gold bullion banks -- which would be managed by the state-run pawnbroker Pegadaian and sharia bank BSI -- are expected to add Rp 245 trillion or nearly $15 billion to Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP). Prabowo, too, credited Jokowi for the bullion services' launch, even saying that he should have invited the latter to the ceremony.

"I must thank you, Mr. Jokowi. ...The ones who have worked hard [for this launch] are him [Jokowi] and his ministers. Even though I have many of his ministers working for me now," Prabowo said to which the audience broke into a loud laughter.

"If the team is strong, why replace them [its members]? You can change the manager, but if the players are great, we can continue to pick them as long as they are strong. If they are not strong enough, then they can step down. I think they [Jokowi's ministers] are still strong," Prabowo said.

The president added that having a strong team -- despite reusing past ministers -- was crucial for "Indonesia's victory".

Prabowo's Merah Putih ("Red and White") cabinet is not only large in size but also comes packed with familiar faces. It comprises 48 ministers, five minister-level senior government officials, and 59 deputy ministers.

Under Prabowo, seasoned businessman Rosan Roeslani continues to be at the helm of the investment ministry and now has just secured a new job as the boss of Indonesia's second sovereign wealth fund Danantara. Chairmen of parties that had backed Prabowo in the previous presidential race also had their share, some even got promoted to even more strategic positions.

National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Zulkifli Hasan was Jokowi's trade minister and he returned to the government to lead the newly established food affairs ministry -- a key position as Prabowo tries to deliver his Herculean campaign promise of feeding nearly 83 million students and expectant mothers free nutrient-rich meals.

Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono -- the son of Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono -- now leads the coordinating ministry of infrastructure. Agus, popularly known as AHY, is the incumbent leader of the Democratic Party and was the spatial planning minister under Jokowi. The Merah Putih cabinet includes returning Energy Minister and Golkar Party chairman Bahlil Lahadalia. Golkar's senior member Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita has also been Indonesia's industry minister since Jokowi's second term began in 2019.

The bullion banking services' launch was just a few days after Prabowo established the much-awaited Danantara. Prabowo said that Danantara would have $900 billion in assets under management, possibly making it one of the world's largest funds. It will consolidate assets of Indonesian state-run enterprises under its wings. 

"Seems like I have been really blessed. It has not been 200 days since I became president, and I'm already launching many great things," Prabowo said. 

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