Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has appointed a new Presidential Advisory Council featuring business leaders, politicians, retired military figures and prominent religious figures, filling a body that had remained without members since the previous administration ended in 2024.
The appointments were announced on Oct. 2, nearly two years after Prabowo took office. The council is intended to advise the president on the exercise of executive power and is chaired by former senior minister Pratikno.
Among the appointees are billionaires Dato Sri Tahir, founder of Mayapada Group, and Chairul Tanjung, founder of CT Corp. Their business interests span sectors including finance, media, retail and hospitality.
The council also includes former leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Islamic organisation, as well as Islamic scholar Muhammad Quraish Shihab. Representatives from Christian, Buddhist and Confucian communities were also included, giving the advisory body members from several religious traditions.
Four senior politicians from parties within Prabowo’s governing coalition were also appointed. Three of them are former cabinet ministers, adding political experience to a council that brings together figures from government, business, religion and other areas of public life.
Retired general Agum Gumelar was among the other prominent appointees, while former Constitutional Court chief justice Anwar Usman was also named to the council. Usman was previously removed from his judicial position following an ethics ruling related to a case involving the eligibility of Prabowo’s 2024 running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
The advisory council was established in 2006, but Prabowo had not appointed members to it during his first two years in office. The new appointments therefore restore the body as another formal channel for advice to the presidency.
The formation of the council comes during a broader period of personnel changes in Prabowo’s administration. The president has carried out two cabinet reshuffles within three weeks, including changes to the finance and foreign affairs portfolios.
Pratikno described the appointments as an opportunity for members to share their experience with the government. The council’s role, however, is advisory, meaning its members provide input rather than directly exercising executive authority.
Analyst Arya Fernandes of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies said the appointments could help broaden the administration’s political base amid concerns about public support and policymaking. He also said an important challenge would be ensuring that the council plays a meaningful role in shaping strategic policies.
The inclusion of major business figures places representatives of Indonesia’s corporate sector alongside political and religious leaders in the new advisory structure. Tahir’s Mayapada Group and Tanjung’s CT Corp both have extensive business interests, giving the council members with experience across several major sectors of the economy.
The appointments also come as Prabowo’s administration faces questions over economic policy and investor confidence. Recent cabinet changes, including the appointment of a new finance minister and a veteran diplomat as foreign minister, have added to the government’s broader leadership reshuffle.
With the council now constituted, its members are expected to provide advice on issues involving government policy and the exercise of presidential powers. How the newly formed body will influence policymaking will depend on the role it takes in advising Prabowo and how its recommendations are incorporated into government decisions.
