Prabowo’s experience as defence minister a boon for Singapore-Indonesia ties: Experts

Prabowo Subianto, who has been the country’s defence minister since 2019, leads the Indonesian presidential election with 57.5 per cent of votes, more than twice his nearest rival. - AFP

JAKARTA: On Nov 21, 2023, a week before starting his campaign to be Indonesia’s next president, Prabowo Subianto was in Singapore to receive the nation’s highest military award.

In a statement about Prabowo’s Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera), or Distinguished Service Order (Military) award, Singapore’s Ministry of Defence had highlighted how it was under him that the Defence Cooperation Agreement, an important document that strengthens the security relationship between the two countries, was ratified.