The Indonesia Election Result and Joko Widodo’s New Cabinet: What it means to fossil fuel subsidy reform

This policy brief analyzes the 2019 Indonesian election results and President Joko Widodo's second-term cabinet, noting that increased political stability and a broader coalition may facilitate policy outcomes. While the first term saw coal expansion overshadow renewable energy, the new administration's Low Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI) targets a 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 through a transition from coal to cleaner energy.

• President Joko Widodo's second-term cabinet is characterized by broader political support and increased legislative control, notably through the inclusion of former rivals. The appointment of Prabowo Subianto (Minister of Defense) and Edhy Prabowo (Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fishery) from the Gerindra Party may allow Widodo to control 74 per cent of the People’s Representative Council (DPR RI), totaling 427 of 575 seats.
• The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif, is tasked with meeting renewable energy targets and reducing oil and gas imports. Other priorities include achieving energy diversification, universal electricity coverage, the palm oil biodiesel project, power plant construction, settling the Masela gas bloc deal, and implementing the downstreaming (hilirisasi) agenda in mining.
• During Widodo's first term, renewable energy growth was hindered by the expansion of coal power plants and a preference for palm oil biodiesel over fuel pricing mechanism improvements. While energy reforms were pursued for fiscal security, they did not increase the share of clean and sustainable energy.
• The Low Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI), launched in August 2019 by the National Development Agency (Bappenas), aims to integrate economic priorities with sustainability. It projects that Indonesia can achieve a 43 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and maintain 6 per cent annual GDP growth by transitioning from coal to renewable energy, potentially avoiding 40,000 premature deaths and preserving nearly 16 million hectares of forestland.

APA

Lontoh, L. (2019). The Indonesia Election Result and Joko Widodo’s New Cabinet: What it means to fossil fuel subsidy reform. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/indonesia-election-result-2019.pdf

Chicago

Lontoh, Lucky. The Indonesia Election Result and Joko Widodo’s New Cabinet: What it means to fossil fuel subsidy reform. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/indonesia-election-result-2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lontoh |first1=Lucky |title=The Indonesia Election Result and Joko Widodo’s New Cabinet: What it means to fossil fuel subsidy reform |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/indonesia-election-result-2019.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lontoh2019indonesia, author = {Lontoh, Lucky}, title = {{The Indonesia Election Result and Joko Widodo’s New Cabinet: What it means to fossil fuel subsidy reform}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/indonesia-election-result-2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }