JAKARTA: The next president of Indonesia is likely to be an alumni of Kuala Lumpur’s prestigious Victoria Institution (VI).
Prabowo Subianto is currently leading with over 58% of votes in the recent Indonesian presidential election, according to quick counts.
His opponents, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, are trailing behind with about 25% and 17% of the votes, respectively.
In order to replace President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Prabowo must secure more than 50% of the overall vote and at least a fifth of ballots cast in over half of the country’s 38 provinces.
It is worth noting that Prabowo had lost to Jokowi in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections.
The 72-year-old Gerindra president had studied at VI in Jalan Hang Tuah from 1962 to 1964.
During an official visit to Malaysia as Defence Minister in November 2019, Prabowo expressed that it felt like coming home for him.
Prabowo’s father, Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, held ministerial positions under Presidents Sukarno and Suharto between 1950 and 1978.
Prabowo’s mother is the late Dora Maria Sigar, a Christian of Minahasan descent from Sulawesi.
Prabowo was previously married to Titiek Suharto, Suharto’s second daughter, and they have a son named Didit Hediprasetyo, who is a fashion designer.
Prabowo was awarded the title of “Datuk Seri” by Melaka Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Ali Rustam in 2022, as mentioned in an Instagram post where he thanked Mohd Ali for the honor.
