‘Prabowo US version’: Trump’s early victory call gives Indonesians sense of déjà vu

On Wednesday, sitting US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to proclaim he had won the 2020 election before all votes were counted

It was a move seemingly straight out of former Indonesian presidential challenger Prabowo Subianto’s playbook, as many were quick to point out

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Prabowo Subianto greets supporters of his presidential campaign from a vehicle in Palembang, South Sumatra province, in April 2019. Photo: Bloomberg

Amy Chewin Kuala Lumpur

Published: 3:36pm, 5 Nov 2020Updated: 4:01pm, 5 Nov 2020

When Donald Trump took to Twitter in the early hours of Wednesday morning to proclaim he would be making a statement about “a big WIN!” before all the votes in the US presidential election had been counted, many Indonesians felt a sense of déjà vu.

It was, after all, only April last year when Prabowo Subianto – Indonesia’s current defence minister – declared himself the winner in that country’s presidential election before the vote tally was complete.

Donald Trump gestures as he reacts to early results from the 2020 US presidential election on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

He did so at least three times, saying in one speech that his was a “victory for … all of the Indonesian people”, while on another occasion he appeared in an open-top car waving to crowds who chanted “President Prabowo!”

When all the votes had been counted, however, it was incumbent President Joko Widodo who emerged victorious. He is now serving his second and final term.

Although the full results of the US election have yet to be declared, Indonesian Twitter users were quick to point out the similarities between Trump’s and Prabowo’s early victory calls.

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