Military, police contest in Prabowo’s administration

President Prabowo Subianto , a former Army general, has relied heavily on the Indonesian Military (TNI) to accelerate the implementation of his flagship programs. However, he has maintained some distance from the National Police. Despite this, both the TNI and the police wield significant influence in Prabowo’s administration, with several figures from military and police backgrounds securing key cabinet positions and playing crucial roles in power transitions.

At least 10 individuals with TNI backgrounds hold positions in Prabowo’s Red and White cabinet, including Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Foreign Minister Sugiono, Transmigration Minister Iftitah, Deputy Coordinating Political and Security Affairs Minister Friedrich Lodewijk Paulus, Deputy State Secretary Minister Bambang Eko Suharyanto, Deputy Defense Minister Donny Ermawan, Deputy Maritime and Fisheries Minister Didit Herdiawan and Deputy Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Ossy Dermawan and Cabinet Secretary Maj. Teddy Indra Wijaya.

Meanwhile, five members of Prabowo’s administration come from police backgrounds, including Coordinating Political and Security Affairs Minister Budi Gunawan, Home Minister Tito Karnavian, Immigration and Corrections Minister Agus Andrianto, Deputy Transportation Minister Suntana and Deputy Administrative and Bureaucratic Reforms Minister Purwadi Arianto.

Several figures with military backgrounds, such as Sjafrie, Sugiono, Donny and Maj. Teddy, have close ties with Prabowo. Meanwhile, Budi Gunawan and Tito Karnavian, along with National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo and TNI commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto, are considered loyal to former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, positioning them as Jokowi’s key figures in Prabowo’s government.

Prabowo has retained both Listyo Sigit and Agus Subiyanto as a continuation of Jokowi’s legacy, as they still have significant time left before reaching retirement age. This has prevented Prabowo from appointing his own candidates to these key positions.

So far, the only intelligence post firmly under Prabowo’s influence is the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), after Jokowi appointed Muhammad Herindra, just before Prabowo’s inauguration in October 2024.

With a long career in the military, Prabowo feels at ease working with the TNI and has entrusted it with overseeing several key government initiatives, including the free nutritious meal program, food estate development, clean water exploration in arid regions and securing the meals program, particularly in Papua, against separatist threats. In contrast, he has not assigned the police any specific tasks beyond their traditional law enforcement duties.

The National Police continue to grapple with public image issues due to their direct interactions with civilians. A recent survey by Kompas shows that the police have a public approval rating of 65.7 percent, similar to the 65.1 recorded in September 2024.

In contrast, the TNI has largely maintained a positive reputation, despite some criminal cases involving military personnel. the TNI has sustained its strong public image, with a 94 percent approval rating, an improvement from 91 percent in September 2024 and 89 percent in June 2024.

Among all law enforcement institutions, the National Police rank lowest in public trust, falling behind the Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), according to a January 2025 Kompas survey.

Additionally, the Ombudsman reported that in 2024, the National Police received the highest number of public complaints (10,846), surpassing higher education institutions, state-owned enterprises, the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry and local governments.

As President Prabowo administers the 2025 national budget cuts to free up around Rp 360 trillion to finance the free meals program, the Defense Ministry, as the ministry overseeing the TNI, and the National Police successfully kept their initial budgets intact.

The Defense Ministry remains one of the biggest spenders in the national budget, receiving Rp 166 trillion for 2025, while the National Police secured Rp 126 trillion. Meanwhile, BIN, which is heavily influenced by both the TNI and the police, successfully retained its full budget allocation of Rp 7 trillion, avoiding any cuts.