Prabowo Revives Dormant Advisory Council With 26-Member Coalition of Tycoons, Clerics, and Critics

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Beneath the gilded cornices of the State Palace on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, President Prabowo Subianto stood before a diverse assembly of corporate titans, Islamic clerics, retired security chiefs, and prominent political critics to administer the constitutional oath of office.

The ceremony formally reconstituted the Presidential Advisory Council, known locally as Wantimpres, bringing 26 members into the executive orbit. The appointments place former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno at the helm as chairman, flanked by former Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa as vice chairman and political analyst Muhammad Qodari as secretary.

The revival carries significant institutional and governance weight. Mandated under Article 16 of the 1945 Constitution to provide direct, non-binding strategic counsel to the head of state, the advisory council had sat completely vacant for nearly two years following the departure of the previous administration on Oct. 20, 2024. By repopulating the council with an expanded bench of 26 members—far exceeding the traditional nine-seat framework of previous tenures—Prabowo is consolidating political factions, market leaders, and independent intellectuals into a centralized advisory apparatus.

Why it matters is the sheer scope of ideological and commercial interests now bound to the state apparatus. Rather than operating merely as an honorary retirement home for aging loyalists, the expanded council functions as a political shock absorber and policy sounding board. Bringing vocal dissenters, influential infrastructure developers, and legal veterans inside the palace tent allows the administration to internalize public friction, harmonize conflicting societal views, and project consensus as it navigates complex economic and legislative priorities.

A Vocal Critic Shifts From Outside to Inside

Among the most striking inclusions is Rocky Gerung, an outspoken academic and long-time establishment foil who has notably pivoted from caustic opposition toward defending President Prabowo Subianto’s policy agenda in recent public remarks. Speaking to reporters on the palace grounds immediately after taking the oath, Gerung dismissed suggestions that accepting a seat compromised his independence, framing his induction as a shift in physical location rather than philosophical conviction.

"I just moved from the outside to the inside, so what is the difference?" Gerung said on Friday afternoon. "My stance remains unchanged, my views remain unchanged, a radical break. It is actually much better on the inside."

Gerung detailed that Prabowo provided an explicit brief outlining the council's boundaries, emphasizing that its primary duty is to safeguard normative values rather than interfere in the day-to-day work of government ministries.

"There was a special message from the president that the advisory council holds an ethical standing, not a technical one," Gerung said. "Our role is the ability to examine the excesses of policy and offer considerations regarding policy direction so that it stays aligned with the president's vision."

He drew a sharp distinction between day-to-day criticism and structural oversight, underscoring that the council's purpose is to monitor public perception and policy delivery.

"This is not about lobbing criticism," Gerung added. "Rather, the function of this council is to be critical of policy. We oversee the direction of policy to ensure it matches the promises made during the campaign, such as maximizing public prosperity. We monitor whether public perception aligns. If not, there are communication shortfalls that must be rectified through counsel delivered to the president."

Commercial Clout and Strategic Diplomacy

Alongside the intellectual sphere, the business community secured a direct conduit to the executive through toll-road entrepreneur Jusuf Hamka, widely recognized by his moniker Babah Alun. Hamka, whose family controls extensive operating concessions through listed toll developer PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada, brings decades of private-sector infrastructure experience into the council.

Hamka built his commercial standing from the ground up, working as a street vendor, timber trader, and construction tractor operator earning Rp 750,000 ($47) per month before emerging as a key figure behind major arterial expressways, including the Cawang-Tanjung Priok, Depok-Antasari, and Cisumdawu toll corridors. While market publications have historically estimated his beneficial corporate holdings around Rp 5.7 trillion ($358 million), Hamka previously retreated from municipal politics and party executive posts in 2024, citing a mismatch between the bruising nature of partisan contestation and his personal temperament. His palace induction marks a return to public affairs via non-partisan economic counsel.

The council also integrates veteran foreign policy thinkers and institutional architects. Jusuf Wanandi, the 88-year-old co-founder of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), brings decades of international engagement to the table. A former student activist in 1966 and long-time member of the People's Consultative Assembly, Wanandi has spent decades leading regional track-two diplomacy forums, including the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council and the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, as well as serving as president director of The Jakarta Post.

His presence sits alongside prominent figures spanning civil society and religious life, including former first lady Shinta Nuriyah Wahid, renowned Quranic scholar Muhammad Quraish Shihab, Nahdlatul Ulama Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf, former Nahdlatul Ulama leader Said Aqil Siradj, Indonesian Ulema Council Chairman Anwar Iskandar, and PKS figure Salim Segaf Aljufri. The military and intelligence establishment is represented by retired generals Agum Gumelar and Ida Bagus Purwalaksana, alongside former National Intelligence Agency chief Budi Gunawan.

Corporate leadership is reinforced by conglomerates through CT Corp founder Chairul Tanjung and Mayapada Group founder Dato Sri Tahir, alongside former transportation and energy minister Ignasius Jonan.

Legal Architects and Institutional Continuity

The legal and constitutional wing of the advisory board includes former Constitutional Court Chief Justice Anwar Usman, who ended his judicial tenure on the apex bench in April 2026. The 69-year-old jurist, who married the sister of seventh president Joko Widodo in May 2022 and is the uncle of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, built a four-decade legal career advancing from the Bogor District Court through the Supreme Court administration before joining the Constitutional Court in 2011. Official disclosures submitted to anti-graft authorities in March 2025 recorded his personal assets at Rp 41.98 billion ($2.64 million) with zero liabilities.

Usman previously drew widespread public scrutiny over the 2023 constitutional ruling on candidate age thresholds that paved the way for Gibran’s vice-presidential candidacy, leading an ethics panel to dismiss him from the chief justice post while retaining his seat as a constitutional judge through the completion of his statutory term. His installation into the advisory council on Friday formally reintegrates him into state institutional circles.

Other legal and academic voices rounding out the council include constitutional law expert Margarito Kamis, former East Java governor Soekarwo, former parliamentary speaker Bambang Soesatyo, alongside Philip Kuncoro Wijaya, Budi Tanuwibowo, Muhammad Hatta, and Zaki Manuputty.

By reviving the council from its two-year dormancy and expanding its membership into a broad assembly, Prabowo has established an all-encompassing institutional tent. With business magnates sitting beside vocal critics and elder statesmen, the council provides the presidency with a multifaceted channel for consensus, deliberation, and policy calibration as his administration moves into the second half of its term.