An Instant Way to Co-opt Workers

Prabowo is worried about the labor protests. He pretends to stand up for the common people.

POPULISM can make leaders resort to some absurd tactics to gain public support. On a stage at the May Day commemoration in Jakarta’s National Monument (Monas) area on May 1, 2026, President Prabowo Subianto joined in singing The Internationale—a hymn synonymous with socialism and communism worldwide. It is the same song once banned by the New Order regime led by his former father-in-law, Suharto.

Aside from distributing t-shirts and basic food staples, as well as promises to improve worker welfare, the President has also given positions to labor leaders. Four days earlier, Prabowo inaugurated Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat, Chair of the All-Indonesian Workers Union Confederation (KSPSI), as the Minister of Environment. Before that, he granted commissioner seats at state-owned companies to two other labor confederation chiefs. It came as no surprise, then, that the workers gathered at Monas were a crowd already brought into the government fold. 

It is hard not to conclude that bringing Jumhur and his friends on board was Prabowo’s attempt to defuse the workers’ movement ahead of May Day. The sheer size and organizational strength of the labor force likely made the government nervous, especially given the economy’s current precarious situation.

Domestically, various industrial sectors are sluggish. The threat of layoffs is widespread amidst the difficulty of the unemployed finding work. Poor fiscal management has increased the deficit. Foreign investors are withdrawing their capital, while those outside the country are reluctant to invest. The rupiah’s exchange rate against the United States dollar has plummeted to its lowest point in recent weeks. The economy is being squeezed further by global uncertainty stemming from the Iran war and skyrocketing energy prices. In short, a crisis is imminent.

This situation could destabilize the government. Furthermore, some intellectuals, academics, and activists have been discussing the government’s incompetence and its need to be “overthrown.” Reaching out to labor groups could be considered as one way for Prabowo to secure his grip on power. 

Prabowo’s attempt to co-opt labor complements his previous efforts to consolidate strength. He already controls the House of Representatives (DPR); he has subdued the political parties; he has a firm grip on the military, law enforcement, and the bureaucracy; and he has secured the backing of mass organizations. Quietly, he has weakened the oversight mechanisms meant to check the executive branch. 

Prabowo appears to be following the autocrat’s handbook used by several world leaders. If one cannot bring opponents into the fold, the handbook suggests attacking them. Independent media and dissenters are labeled “foreign stooges” or “unpatriotic.”

By aligning himself with workers’ groups, Prabowo is pretending to advocate for workers’ welfare. Making Marsinah a national hero while allowing the military to encroach upon civilian life is a stark paradox. In 1993, that watch factory worker in East Java was raped and murdered after standing up for workers. The military is strongly suspected of involvement in that brutal act.

The promise to reduce commission fees for ride-hailing drivers—followed by a statement from Deputy House Speaker and Gerindra Party Executive Chair Sufmi Dasco Ahmad that the Danantara Investment Management Agency would take over Gojek shares—is easily understood as a ploy. It looks like a scheme to open an “exit door” for early Gojek investors using state funds.

Rather than resorting to the quick fix of using workers as part of his power consolidation efforts, Prabowo should return to the essence of the problem, namely managing the fiscal management prudently, making credible policies, creating a favorable investment climate, enforcing the law fairly, and upholding democracy and civil liberties.

Read the Complete Story in Tempo English Magazine

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