February 7, 2025
JAKARTA – President Prabowo Subianto has warned all government officials to avoid corruption and fraud after the public gave mixed reviews on the performance of his administration in its first 100 days.
The President said during the first 100 days of his administration he had warned every ministry to “clean up” their act, otherwise they “will be cleaned out”.
“I have warned [the officials] so many times, now [after 100 days] anyone defiant, stubborn or opposing the big wave of clean government, I will punish,” he said on Wednesday during his speech in an event to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s largest Muslim organization.
The chairman of the Gerindra Party passed the 100-day mark of his administration last week, receiving mixed reviews for his performance.
While still struggling to deliver his main programs, including the free nutritious meals for schoolchildren and pregnant women, Prabowo has received an overwhelmingly positive approval rating of around 80 percent, according to pollsters Indikator Politik Indonesia and Litbang Kompas.
The figure is about 18 percentage points higher than that of his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in his first few months as president in 2015 and five percentage points higher than Jokowi’s rating at the end of his administration last year.
Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), a Jakarta-based think tank, however, gave negative reviews on the performance of Prabowo, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and cabinet ministers. The ministers who received the worst reviews were Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai, Cooperatives Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia and Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni.
The group recommended that the President should replace the poor-performing ministers in a reshuffle.
Read also: After 100 days, little to show for Prabowo’s energy, food security plans
Prabowo said every leader must be able to set a good example, even if it means that they have to take unpopular actions.
Responding to the criticism, he said that he would take action against those who did not perform well.
“Those who don’t want to work for the people, I will get rid of them,” he told reporters after Wednesday’s event, without elaborating.