(Bloomberg) — Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto picked his predecessor’s fix-it man as the chief of the economic advisory council for his new government.
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Luhut Panjaitan, previously Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment under Joko Widodo’s leadership, was appointed to the role during a ceremony to inaugurate the new cabinet on Monday. The institution, which Panjaitan described in an Instagram post as an “economic think tank with economy experts,” will advise the new government on how to achieve its growth goals.
Panjaitan’s previous role as a coordinating minister was pivotal in Indonesia’s mineral downstreaming campaign. For years, he had been the go-to man who could woo investors and shuttle between ministries to cut through the bureaucracy. He’s pushed through everything from coronavirus controls to a landmark climate finance deal in 2022.
In a reversal to his earlier plan to retire, Panjaitan, who was a former military general, said that he is “always ready to step up when the call of duty comes,” especially when the country is facing a growing number of economic challenges including food security, the energy transition and geopolitics.
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