(Editor's Note:The following opinion column does not constitute an endorsement of any political party, or candidate on the part of Newsmax.)

OPINION 

The next president of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo, may not be a household name, yet.

Most may not know what he represents and why the people of Indonesia voted for him in large numbers. But vote for him the largest Muslim nation in the world did.

Prabowo Subianto’s career in service to Indonesia and its people spans decades.

He has served his country as one of Indonesia’s most distinguished military officers across senior political positions.

He was the runner-up in the last two presidential elections and served as Indonesia’s defense minister for the past four years under President Joko Widodo, when he undertook the most comprehensive rearmament program of the last 50 years.

He launched a 25-year rearmament budget encompassing all branches of the military, to guarantee Indonesia’s sovereignty against all threats in a region where the security paradigm is perhaps shifting towards a less secure future.

In 2024, Indonesia finds itself at a pivotal moment in history, poised to become an economic powerhouse and a key player across a range of regional and global issues, from peace and security to development assistance and the green energy revolution.

This will require vision; the kind of leadership which brokers unity over bureaucracy.

From his years as a member of Indonesia’s Kopassus special forces, through his ascent through the ranks of the armed forces, Prabowo earned a reputation as a maverick with a talent for novel approaches to problem-solving.

U.S. Army officers who worked with him during the 1990s dubbed him "The Red Baron" for his skills. It was this popularity with ordinary soldiers that enabled Prabowo to tackle corruption and abuse, and undertake daring reforms, ruffling quite a few feathers in the process.

But what made Prabowo stand out in the latest presidential election, is that throughout his career he has always been a man of the people.

Soldiers who served under him recount that they always felt he was one of them. He would lead from the front, never sending soldiers where he would not go first.

In the mid-1990s, he personally led an extremely dangerous hostage rescue operation in the jungles of Papua, that had been deemed impossible by military planners and experts, rescuing 26 hostages including a number of Europeans, who had been taken hostage by members of the separatist Free Papua Organization.

Later, he led a popular farmers union and a major farmers’ market association, representing 16,000 markets throughout Indonesia.

He has built a remarkable track record of projects in support of vulnerable communities; projects as varied as investing in water well drilling programs in drought-hit areas, building floating and stilt houses in areas impacted by tidal floods and coastal erosion, building hospitals and mess halls, or supporting sports, arts, and education through scholarships and sponsorships.

His campaign promises were so too ambitious, such as providing free meals in schools for children and assistance for farmers in rural areas, ideas shaped by his dedication to serving Indonesia’s ordinary people.

However, Prabowo is also known for his friendly approach to businesses and his staunch belief that entrepreneurs have an important role to play in the transformation of Indonesia into a developed economy.

Those who know him best describe his approach to politics as a combination of New Deal social democracy along the lines of Franklin D. Roosevelt with Tony Blair Third Way laborism.

He believes in a strong centralized state that guides the nation towards economic prosperity by adopting business-friendly policies while never losing sight of the importance of implementing strong social programs.

For a man who started his career in the military and went through several combat deployments, or perhaps because of it, Prabowo is intriguingly famous for his conciliatory approach and respect shown to adversaries and rivals.

"One thousand friends [is] too few, one enemy [is] too many," is his favorite motto.

It's a belief that permeates in his approach to ethnic and religious affairs in Indonesia where Prabowo, who himself is a moderate Muslim, has earned the respect of all sides.

He has made it clear that Indonesia’s foreign policy will be guided by the best interest of his country and his people, that Indonesia’s sovereignty and national interest will always come first.

Prabowo has also made it clear that Indonesia will remain true to its traditional policy of non-alignment.

He strongly believes that his country must build constructive relationships, based on mutual respect and interest.

He has underlined the fact that under his presidency, Indonesia will continue its cooperation with China, which is an important economic partner, but will also expand and deepen its close partnership with the U.S. and the West with which Indonesia shares a long history of cooperation.

Indonesians have every reason to look at his upcoming presidency with the same enthusiasm and optimism that characterized the past 10 years under President Joko Widodo, certain that their country’s direction is in capable and experienced hands.

Duggan Flanakin, is a CFACT policy analyst.