February 2, 2026 | 10:27 am
Foreign diplomacy is entirely in the hands of Prabowo. It does not matter who the foreign minister is.
AT the signing of the Board of Peace charter, Donald Trump put Viktor Orbán and Prabowo Subianto on the same table. It was as if the ratification of this shadow United Nations on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 22, 2026, was an affirmation from the President of the United States that Hungary and Indonesia are his allies.
Political analysts categorize Trump and Orbán as populist leaders who have built power autocratically. Both were democratically elected, but used their majorities to take total control. Trump launched an attack on the independence of monetary policy by criminalizing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell because the central bank would not go along with his wish to reduce interest rates.
Meanwhile, Victor Orbán changed the constitution to hold on to power, weakened checks and balances, took control of the media and manipulated elections. So far, Prabowo has not been placed in any category. He is only referred to as a president who wants to be a “strongman” by controlling politics, the law, and civil society by using the military.
This alliance with Trump and Orbán in the Board of Peace is a sign that Prabowo is now in the league of authoritarian leaders. Trump and Orbán stick to a “one-man-show” style of governance. On the international stage, Prabowo is leading diplomatic efforts, sidelining Foreign Minister Sugiono.
With this type of leadership, it does not matter who his foreign minister or aides are. Prabowo appears alone on the diplomatic stage, and makes important decisions on his own. Trump gave him legitimacy by referring to Orbán and Prabowo as tough leaders at the Board of Peace charter signing table.
But this praise from Trump is very expensive. As founder of the Board of Peace, he has appointed himself chairman with right of veto, and as a condition of membership, nations will have to pay a fee of US$1 billion, or almost Rp17 trillion. Prabowo agreed to this condition without trying to bargain or even thinking about any possible benefits of joining an organization that could weaken the role of an official body like the UN.
Originally it was the Gaza Board of Peace. European nations refused to join because the founding nation has long provided financial support to the Israeli military. And Trump did not invite the Palestinians to join even though they are the rightful owners of the Gaza Strip. Subsequently, Trump removed the “Gaza,” claiming that he wanted to bring peace to the whole world.
As well as disregarding the legitimacy of the UN, in a legal sense Prabowo’s decision is in violation of the 1945 Constitution. Article 11 paragraph 2 obliges the president to obtain the approval of the House of Representatives (DPR) before signing any international agreement imposing a financial burden on the state. Let alone the DPR, not even Sugiono can explain why Indonesia is paying a sum of money to join the Board of Peace that would cover the cost of 1.7 billion free nutritious meals.
Prabowo’s personal insecurity is sufficient to explain his decision. He has long ceased to trust bureaucrats and his own subordinates. On state visits, according to diplomats, he always takes two airplanes: one for him and his personal assistants, and one for the accompanying bureaucrats.
And this personal insecurity has made Prabowo close his ears to criticism or suggestions from the public. He has centralized power in his own hands. Political observers call this caesarism, a general term for guided power built through populism and militarism. It is named after Julius Ceaser, the Roman dictator who ruled with an iron fist.
For Prabowo, caesarism was born from his incompetency to understand the relationships and duties within politics, power, democracy, and the public. Joining the Board of Peace could be his way of obtaining protection from other powerful leaders who govern the same way. His alliance with Trump, however absurd, is aimed at protecting his power so he does not end up like the Venezuelan President, who was kidnapped by Trump’s troops for opposing him.
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