Prabowo Names Sarmuji as Indonesia’s New Industry Minister

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has appointed Muhammad Sarmuji as industry minister, replacing Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, in a cabinet reshuffle held at Jakarta’s State Palace. The change places a senior Golkar Party figure in a portfolio central to the country’s industrial policy, while a wider set of appointments also reshapes senior roles across government.

The ceremony marks Prabowo’s seventh cabinet reshuffle since taking office in October 2024. For investors, the immediate significance is the change in ministerial leadership; the source report provides no policy announcements or details of how the appointments may alter Indonesia’s industrial direction.

A new minister takes office

Sarmuji, secretary-general of the Golkar Party, took the oath of office under Prabowo’s guidance. The oath included a pledge of loyalty to Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution and a commitment to carry out the country’s laws and regulations in service of the nation and state.

The Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube broadcast showed the ceremony opening with the national anthem, “Indonesia Raya”, followed by the reading of a decree on ministerial appointments and dismissals. Sarmuji and Prabowo then signed the inauguration minutes. The president greeted and congratulated Sarmuji and other officials installed during the event.

The source reports the appointment and ceremony, but does not set out Sarmuji’s priorities as minister, a timetable for policy decisions or any specific measures for industry. Those details will matter in assessing what the change means beyond the reshuffle itself.

Sarmuji’s parliamentary background

Before joining the cabinet, Sarmuji chaired the Golkar Party faction in the House of Representatives, known as the DPR. He also held leadership roles in Commission V, Commission IX and Commission XI.

That experience gives him a parliamentary background alongside his party position. The report does not describe his record in those roles or identify particular industrial policies he supported. Investors should therefore distinguish the confirmed facts of his appointment and previous responsibilities from assumptions about the agenda he may pursue in his new post.

For businesses with exposure to Indonesia, the industry ministry’s leadership is one part of the policy picture. A change of minister may prompt attention to future statements and decisions, but the source offers no basis for predicting how regulation, investment conditions or sector priorities will change.

A broader reshuffle across government

Sarmuji was sworn in alongside several other senior officials. The appointments included Sugiono as coordinating minister for human development and culture, Dudung Abdurachman as coordinating minister for political and security affairs, Bahlil Lahadalia as coordinating minister for downstreaming and energy transition, and Arrmanatha Nasir as foreign minister.

Prabowo also administered oaths to National Police Chief Commissioner General Suyudi Ario Seto, Presidential Chief of Staff Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo and National Agrarian Reform Agency Head Commissioner General Dedy Prasetyo, among others.

The range of posts represented makes this a broader government personnel change than the industry appointment alone. But the source does not explain the reasons for the reshuffle or indicate that the appointments form part of a shared policy programme. Each role has its own remit, and the report supplies no further details on how the officials will work together.

What this means for investors

The confirmed development is a change in leadership at the industry ministry, set within Prabowo’s seventh reshuffle since taking office. For investors, that is a reason to watch for official statements and policy decisions from the new minister, rather than to infer a shift in the industrial outlook from the appointment alone.

The report contains no new economic measures, investment commitments or sector-specific plans. It also does not connect the cabinet changes to particular regional markets or asset classes. Any assessment of commercial implications will need to wait for further evidence, such as published policy priorities or decisions by the relevant ministries.

This distinction matters for international investors weighing Indonesian exposure. Cabinet appointments can alter who leads a portfolio, while their practical effects depend on what the government subsequently announces and implements. On the information reported so far, Sarmuji’s appointment is clear; its policy consequences remain to be established.

Further announcements and decisions will show whether the reshuffle brings a change in industrial policy or simply a change in ministerial leadership.

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