The US presidential election is understandably commanding enormous attention, but this week marks a significant new chapter in the world’s third-largest democracy and fourth-most populous country, Indonesia, where the presidency of Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated on Sunday. We may soon be hearing rather more of his country.
Mr Prabowo will probably sit comfortably in office. A former special forces general during the 30-year-rule of his then father-in-law, Suharto, Mr Prabowo stood for the vice presidency once and the presidency twice before winning election in January this year. He served as defence minister since 2019 as part of the cabinet of his erstwhile opponent, Joko Widodo, who was considered to have implicitly endorsed his successor during the presidential contest, not least because Mr Joko’s elder son was Mr Prabowo’s running mate.
When I saw him being interviewed on stage in Doha in May, Mr Prabowo already had the air and confidence of a seasoned leader. And it was apt that it should have been in an international setting, for as his new Minister of Cultural Affairs, Fadli Zon, says: “Prabowo will be a foreign policy president and have a hands-on approach in dealing with foreign policy matters.”
Mr Prabowo’s predecessor-but-one, Susilo Bangbang Yudhoyono, made a similar prediction in June, posting on X in Indonesian: “Pak Prabowo, ‘you are on the right track’ and have become a ‘foreign policy president’. Good luck and carry on!” He praised Mr Prabowo’s speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s pre-eminent security conference, as “strong and also beautiful”.
Mr Joko never attended the UN General Assembly, and mostly left diplomacy to his foreign minister, Retno Marsudi. By contrast, Mr Prabowo has visited more than 20 countries since being elected this year, meeting leaders including President Sheikh Mohamed, China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, France’s Emmanuel Macron and the heads of five governments within the Association of South-East Asian Nations.
Maybe it is time for Indonesia to take a more prominent role in international affairs. If so, cometh the hour, cometh the man?
It’s natural that Mr Prabowo feels at ease abroad: for most of his childhood, his family were living overseas, and he speaks French, German, English and Dutch. But wearing the mantle of an international statesman also appears to be second nature to him.
In June last year, he surprised his own government when he put forward a four-point proposal to end the war in Ukraine. He did so, he explained in an interview in January, because “the Global South is suffering disproportionately from the effects of this war even though it has nothing to do with it, and can in no way change what is happening”.
Indonesia, he said, needed “to play a more assertive role in shaping geopolitical events”. Pointing out that his country had been one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961, Mr Prabowo said “advocating in favour of the Global South and developing nations, advocating for a world system that does not favour the developed North at the expense of the Global South, is in the DNA of our foreign policy”.
That may well be true. The change is that with Mr Prabowo, Indonesia may not have had a leader who is so ready to take a place on the world stage since its founding president, Sukarno. Earlier this year, he said: “It is only natural that as Indonesia develops, as it grows, it must assume the new responsibilities that come with its position as an emerging power.”
This, I would argue, is something that should be welcomed. Indonesia has a population of nearly 300 million people, it is the world’s largest Muslim state, it is already the world’s eighth-largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity, and many consider it to be on the cusp of a remarkable economic transformation. It’s a plural, vibrant, multi-ethnic society, with a wealth of culture and a long tradition of moderation.
Maybe it is time for Indonesia to take a more prominent role in international affairs. If so, cometh the hour, cometh the man?
I would say so. For Mr Prabowo’s plan for Ukraine dealt with the reality of what appears to be a terrible, intractable stalemate. He is firm about the need for the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands to end. He is equally firm that Indonesia wants to continue to have “excellent relations” and maintain “important partnerships” with both China and the US.
“What I will not do as president is align Indonesia to one or the other. Indonesia is too big to be aligned to any other country. Indonesia can only be aligned to Indonesia’s best interest,” he said. There are many countries that would like to do and say exactly the same. They will be pleased if Indonesia, as a more assertive middle power under Mr Prabowo, provides them with a lead to follow.
There will be plenty of challenges at home, not least fulfilling Mr Prabowo’s aim of reaching annual growth of 8 per cent. But the self-styled “continuity” candidate has reassured markets by retaining many of his predecessor’s ministers, most notably Sri Mulyani Indrawati, the country’s highly regarded finance minister.
And in reference to the allegations of human rights abuses relating to his time in the military – which organisations such as the BBC never stop claiming “have dogged him for decades” – Mr Prabowo has apologised to two former democracy activists from the late 1990s. He has also appointed one of them, Budiman Sujatmiko, to a key role as head of the Poverty Alleviation Acceleration Agency.
“We have both moved to the middle,” said the one-time fiery radical, Mr Budiman. He also dismissed western sniping at Mr Prabowo. “Developed countries don’t like leaders from developing countries who are brave, firm and strategic.”
I remember meeting Mr Budiman, and the new culture minister, Mr Fadli, in Jakarta 15 years ago. Who would have thought then that their time would come together, with the elevation of Mr Prabowo – who many then considered to be a tempestuous former general – to the presidency?
Perhaps the new leader has been following the saying he is fond of quoting: “A thousand friends are too few, one enemy is too many.” If Mr Prabowo can manage to keep to that, both at home and abroad, many may be glad if the “sleeping giant” of South-East Asia is beginning to awaken.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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LOS ANGELES GALAXY 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 5
Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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Friday’s fixture
6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta
6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman
9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas
9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah
.
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Scorebox
Dubai Hurricanes 31 Dubai Sports City Eagles 22
Hurricanes
Tries: Finck, Powell, Jordan, Roderick, Heathcote
Cons: Tredray 2, Powell
Eagles
Tries: O’Driscoll 2, Ives
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Gordon Corera, Harper Collins
ANALYSTS’ TOP PICKS OF SAUDI BANKS IN 2019
Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital
Top pick: National Commercial Bank
Reason: It will be at the forefront of project financing for government-led projects
Analyst: Shabbir Malik of EFG-Hermes
Top pick: Al Rajhi Bank
Reason: Defensive balance sheet, well positioned in retail segment and positively geared for rising rates
Analyst: Chiradeep Ghosh of Sico Bank
Top pick: Arab National Bank
Reason: Attractive valuation and good growth potential in terms of both balance sheet and dividends
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Ferrari
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Mann%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adam%20Driver%2C%20Penelope%20Cruz%2C%20Shailene%20Woodley%2C%20Patrick%20Dempsey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
