Prabowo Gathers Predecessors as Middle East Tensions Threaten Jakarta’s Economic Horizon

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — On a humid Tuesday night at the Merdeka Palace, the usual silence of the administrative heart of Indonesia was replaced by a high-stakes gathering of the country's political titans. President Prabowo Subianto hosted a four-hour "silaturahmi"—a traditional Indonesian term for a social gathering intended to strengthen bonds—that functioned more like a strategic war room than a formal dinner.

The guest list was a "who’s who" of Indonesian democratic history. Seated around the table were the country’s 6th President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; the 7th President, Joko Widodo; and a phalanx of former vice presidents including Jusuf Kalla and Boediono. They were joined by the architects of Indonesia's "million friends, zero enemies" foreign policy: former Foreign Ministers Hassan Wirajuda, Marty Natalegawa, and Alwi Shihab.

This rare display of domestic unity comes at a precarious moment for Southeast Asia's largest economy. The primary catalyst for the meeting was the recent military escalation involving U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran—a development that threatens to upend global energy markets and test the limits of Indonesia’s "free and active" foreign policy.

For President Prabowo, a former special forces general who assumed office with a mandate to elevate Indonesia's global stature, the conflict is not merely a distant diplomatic tremor. It is a direct threat to the fiscal stability of a nation that remains sensitive to fluctuations in global crude prices.

"The President provided an update on the most recent developments, specifically concerning the strikes by America and Israel against Iran," said Hassan Wirajuda, who served as Foreign Minister from 2001 to 2009. "We are calculating the effects on our supply of oil and gas. We are also gauging the duration of this conflict—whether we are talking about days, as previously suggested by [Donald] Trump, or now, perhaps weeks."

The Crumbling International Order

The dialogue at the Palace took a somber turn as the leaders discussed the "weakening effectiveness" of the global order. Hasan noted that the United Nations and the traditional "rules-based order" now seem to exist primarily "on paper," leaving middle powers like Indonesia to navigate a world where international mandates are increasingly bypassed by superpowers.

"The President described how we must navigate our lives not just between two reefs, but now several reefs," Hasan said, referencing President Sukarno's famous 1948 "Rowing Between Two Reefs" speech that defined Indonesia's non-aligned stance during the Cold War.

Central to the discussion was the Board of Peace (BoP)—a strategic Indonesian initiative designed to mediate regional conflicts. Leaders are currently reassessing whether the BoP’s mandate remains viable if the conflict in the Gulf continues to widen, or if a more aggressive recalibration of the nation's diplomatic assets is required.

Economic Fortification

While the diplomats talked of "reefs" and "mandates," the political leaders in the room were focused on the more immediate concerns of the "kitchen table." Bahlil Lahadalia, the current Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources and Chairman of the Golkar Party, emphasized that the meeting was a preemptive strike against global volatility.

"Everything we do is in the framework of anticipating global events to secure our country," Bahlil said. The administration is reportedly focusing on food and energy readiness to insulate the domestic market from a potential spike in Brent crude prices, which could blow a hole in the national budget’s fuel subsidy allocations.

A Rare Show of Solidarity

The imagery of the night was as potent as the policy. Around 11:00 p.m., the "elders" began to depart. In a notable moment of political theater, President Joko Widodo—who left office just over a year ago—was seen sharing a car with his son, the current Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as they left the palace complex.

The presence of Puan Maharani, a key figure in the opposition-aligned PDI-P, alongside the pro-government coalition heads, signaled a temporary truce in domestic politics. Almuzzammil Yusuf, a senior leader of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), noted that the President was remarkably transparent about the "heavy choices" facing the administration.

As the motorcades faded into the Jakarta night, the message from the Palace was clear: in a world where the old rules no longer apply, Indonesia intends to face the storm as a unified front, prioritizing its own energy and food security over the ideological fractures of the West.