Prabowo Subianto names tycoons and religious leaders to Indonesian advisory council

Broad coalition of advisers

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has appointed a 26-member Presidential Advisory Council, bringing some of the country's most powerful business tycoons, retired military officers, and religious leaders directly into his administration.

The appointments, made during a ceremony in Jakarta on Friday, fill a body that has sat empty since the previous administration ended in October 2024. Among those sworn in are billionaires Chairul Tanjung and Tahir, retired general Agum Gumelar, and former Constitutional Court chief justice Anwar Usman.

The council will be chaired by Pratikno, a former senior minister. Its role is to advise the president on how to exercise his executive power.

Breaching the limit

The appointments come nearly two years into Prabowo's term and well after a statutory deadline. A law passed just before Prabowo took office in late 2024 required him to name the board within three months of his inauguration.

However, that same law also removed a strict nine-member cap on the council's size, giving the president the freedom to decide how many advisers he wanted. Prabowo has used this change to create a panel nearly three times larger than previous iterations, integrating a wider range of political, religious, and economic factions into his inner circle.

The expansion is part of a broader administrative shakeup. On Thursday, Prabowo swore in more than a dozen other high-ranking officials, including a new foreign minister and a new national police chief.

Tycoons and faith leaders

The inclusion of major business figures highlights the economic focus of the new council.

Tahir, the founder of the Mayapada Group and son-in-law of Lippo Group founder Mochtar Riady, is Indonesia's sixth-richest person. His conglomerate holds extensive interests in banking, healthcare, real estate, and media.

Chairul Tanjung, who briefly served as coordinating minister for economic affairs under former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is the country’s 15th-richest person with a fortune estimated at $2.6 billion. His company, CT Corp, spans media, financial services, and retail.

To balance these commercial interests, Prabowo has appointed several prominent religious figures. The council now includes Islamic scholar Muhammad Quraish Shihab and two former leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Islamic organisation. Representatives from the Christian, Buddhist, and Confucian communities have also been given seats on the board.