Prabowo Subianto vows to put farmers first in Indonesia power bid
Prabowo Subianto hopes to ride to power in Indonesia with pledge to put farmers first in a 'people economy' geared to fostering nationalism
Prabowo Subianto, a former general turned presidential candidate, is raising his own herd of cattle as he seeks to woo Indonesia's farmers with a promise to make them the centrepiece of a push to revitalise the economy.
Prabowo, 62, would build a "people economy" and boost funding tenfold for the agriculture that 70 per cent of Indonesians depend on for a living, he said at his ranch in Sentul, near Jakarta. The former chief of the army's special forces wants to cut dependence on food imports and foster "Indonesian nationalism".
An election in July for the presidency of the world's third-biggest democracy is shaping up as a contest of personalities.
Prabowo, leading the Great Indonesia Movement Party or Gerindra, is pledging to limit exports of natural resources.
Another candidate - Golkar party chairman Aburizal Bakrie - also sought to tap a protectionist mood as Southeast Asia's biggest economy seeks to cut dependence on imports.
Prabowo trails Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo in popularity, according to a survey by Indikator Politik Indonesia, with Widodo announcing his candidacy on March 14 for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P. Gerindra needs to win at least 20 per cent of seats in an April parliamentary vote, more than polls forecast, or under election rules Prabowo must form a coalition to stand for president.
