JAKARTA, Thekabarnews.com—President Prabowo Subianto’s fifth cabinet reshuffle is more than a routine bureaucratic refresh. Political and military analyst Selamat Ginting said the move was a strategic attempt to cement Prabowo’s full hold on the government. Moreover, it aimed to control the remaining political influence of former President Joko Widodo.

Ginting said Prabowo is now in a critical transition phase. In this context, political stability requires careful compromise and consolidation, not abrupt separation from old power structures, in a discussion in the Madilog podcast on the YouTube channel of Forum Keadilan TV.

“Power never does dramatic things. It moves through political compromise and consolidation,” Ginting said Wednesday, April 29.

He said the retention of figures closely linked to Jokowi inside Prabowo’s cabinet was a political necessity. This helps to establish continuity and stability in the early stages of the new administration.

But this approach also entails a significant political risk: the perception of dual leadership, often called in Indonesian politics “matahari kembar” or “twin suns.”

Ginting warned that if senior officials are more loyal to Jokowi than Prabowo, it could create the impression of dual power in the same government.

“People start asking why the government still has two suns after a year when officials keep going back and forth to Solo,” he said.

One of the most closely watched appointments in the latest reshuffle was the appointment of former Army Chief of Staff Dudung Abdurachman as Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP).

“Dudung is a strategic compromise figure that Prabowo’s camp and Jokowi’s political network can accept,” Ginting added.

Prabowo views Dudung as a compromise figure. Both poles, Prabowo’s and Jokowi’s, can embrace him. He is the bridge in between the two,” said Ginting.

He added that Prabowo would likely want to restore the presidential staff office as a powerful political command center. This would be akin to the influential role that Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan played during Jokowi’s first administration.

Ginting judges that Prabowo wants the KSP to be a strategic “political kitchen” for the enforcement of presidential directives. However, he does not want it to be involved in practical political maneuvering.

Dudung’s commanding leadership style is more suited to Prabowo’s taste than people like Moeldoko. He argued that the latter group is more involved in the details of politics.

It aligns with Prabowo’s vision of a strong and centralized political command that prioritizes strategic decision-making over day-to-day political engagements.

The reshuffle is a clear message that Prabowo is firmly in control. However, there is still space for Jokowi loyalists, Ginting said.

Dudung’s appointment signals to the ministers and bureaucratic elite that they must be loyal to the current presidency.

“This is Prabowo’s way of saying, ‘Don’t mess.’ This is now Prabowo Subianto’s government,” said Ginting.

He added that Prabowo’s slow and steady efforts to reduce the old political influence were in keeping with the careful style of a former Kopassus general. Specifically, this style is calculated, strategic, and aimed at avoiding unnecessary political turbulence.

For Ginting, the reshuffle is a sign that Prabowo is not rushing into seizing power. Instead, he is carefully building stability before making deeper structural moves.

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