Prabowo Calls Cabinet Meeting After Vowing to Take Over Whoosh Debt Burden

November 4, 2025 | 05:18 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto summoned members of his Red and White Cabinet and several agency heads to the Presidential Palace on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, shortly after announcing that the government would assume responsibility for the debt of the Whoosh high-speed train project.

Tempo’s observations showed that ministers began arriving at the Presidential Palace Complex around 02:00 PM local time.

Among those present were Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto, Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno, Minister of Villages and Underdeveloped Regions Yandri Susanto, and Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar.

Other attendees included Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono, Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Maman Abdurrahman, Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya, Head of the BP Taskin Agency Budiman Sudjatmiko, and Investment and Downstreaming Minister Rosan Roeslani.

All officials were seen wearing the cabinet’s customary white shirts and black trousers. When approached by reporters, they declined to give detailed comments.

“We’re here for a meeting on community empowerment,” Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said briefly.

Minister Yandri Susanto added that he was attending a limited cabinet meeting, but provided no further details.

Journalists were initially barred from covering the event by officials from the Presidential Secretariat (BPMI) and Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres), who directed the media to wait near the eastern entrance of the State Palace.

About 20 minutes later, reporters were allowed back to the pillar area, the designated doorstep spot near the President’s Office.

Earlier that day, Prabowo had inaugurated the newly renovated Tanah Abang Station in Central Jakarta, where he reaffirmed his commitment to take full responsibility for the Jakarta–Bandung Whoosh high-speed rail, a project jointly developed by Indonesia and China and known as Southeast Asia’s first high-speed train.

Prabowo told reporters that PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), the state-owned railway company, should not worry about the project’s outstanding debt.

“I’ve studied the Whoosh issue carefully, and there’s no problem. I will take full responsibility for all of it,” he said.

The president emphasized that Indonesia has the financial capacity to manage the debt and pledged that the government would allocate Rp1.2 trillion per year to cover the payments.

“Indonesia is not a small country. I’ve done the calculations. It’s not an issue. We’ll pay Rp1.2 trillion per year,” Prabowo said at Tanah Abang Station.

The Whoosh train, inaugurated in 2023, connects Jakarta and Bandung at speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour, cutting travel time between the two cities from more than three hours to just 45 minutes.

The project, however, has faced public scrutiny due to cost overruns and debt financing tied to its joint venture with Chinese investors.

Editor’s Choice: Prabowo Commits to Annual Rp1.2tn Gov't Payment for Whoosh Debt

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News

Prabowo Seeks to Take Indonesia's Whoosh High-Speed Train to Java's Eastern Tip

28 menit lalu

Prabowo Allots Rp5 Trillion to KAI for Commuter Line Fleet Boost

1 jam lalu

Prabowo Keen to Expand Whoosh High-Speed Train to East Java's Banyuwangi

1 jam lalu

The Stalled Launch of Red-and-White Cooperatives

2 jam lalu

Prabowo Commits to Annual Rp1.2tn Gov't Payment for Whoosh Debt

3 jam lalu

Prabowo Claims Responsibility for Whoosh High-Speed Train Debt

3 jam lalu

Meet the Airbus A400M: Key Facts on Indonesia's New Military Transport

5 jam lalu

Why Himbara Bank Shares Are Falling in the Prabowo Era

7 jam lalu

Prabowo Says Indonesia Negotiating Purchase of Four More Airbus A400M Aircraft

20 jam lalu

Former Minister Ignasius Jonan Visits Presidential Palace Amid Whoosh Debt Talks

23 jam lalu