Prabowo’s finance minister, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, had been talking up the plan for decades. After serving in former senator Joko” Jokowi” Widodo’s government, she stayed on as a sign of stability to the business group. The VAT boost would have been like a stability, as laid out by a 2021 rules.
Prabowo gave in to critics, reversing the entire VAT increase and shifting its focus to luxury goods. Similar to a shift from the Jokowi case, Sri Mulyani and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto voted in favor of the program, saying that they would support the meals.
PRABOWO’S NEXT 100 DAYS
It’s an interesting comparison to the former president’s personal experiences with premature controversial economic measures.
Only months after his 2014 opening, Jokowi cut the gas payment. Although Jokowi wore it simply despite low-level demonstrations and annual inflation higher than current levels, it was a move that predated him and was introduced during the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono time.
Prabowo’s initial 100 days could be less significant than his future. He suggested last month that provincial primary elections be abolished and that a program be put in place where these positions are chosen by local legislatures.
The idea sparked fears among those who support democracy and those who oppose it, believing that Prabowo’s strongman ambitions are just beginning. Prabowo-aligned parties have already confirmed they would at least” consider” the plan. It may require a revision of the election law, which is already scheduled to be discussed this time.
Erin Cook is a blogger who writes about politics in Southeast Asia and writes the regular Dari Mulut untuk Mulut newsletter.  , This remark initially appeared on the Lowy Institute’s site, Interpreter.