Facing growing public outrage over economic hardship and political privileges, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has reshuffled his cabinet, removing top economic and security officials.
Tom Pepinsky, a professor of government in the College of Arts & Sciences who studies political and economic systems in Southeast Asia, says the ouster of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati is a particularly destabilizing move for the country.
Pepinsky says:
“President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to remove Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and replace her with a pro-growth economist with untested public credentials—amidst unrest and protest across Indonesia that has led to over a dozen deaths—is a shock to Indonesian democracy and the country’s political economy.
“Capital markets have responded negatively, with concerns about the suddenness of the decision, as well as its merits and what it says about decision making in Jakarta.
“It suggests that the Prabowo administration is not serious about confronting the needs of the people, much less of the economy.”
