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Doubts loom over new Cabinet line-up
Jakarta Post - July 28, 2016
Political experts have said the new composition is only a political accommodation, shown by whom he has kicked and picked in the shake-up. Therefore, they are afraid the new Cabinet will go no further and contribute far below expectations.
"The reshuffle shows more political compromise rather than performance evaluation. Indeed, it's too early to predict whether they will give a better performance than the previous Cabinet, but I suspect that it's only the way to provide space for his new supporters," said Gun Gun Heryanto, a political communication expert with Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, referring to the Golkar Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN). "So, don't expect too much," he added.
With the two parties having jumped ship to support Jokowi, he has provided ministry seats to accommodate both.
The Hanura Party was forced to see two members, Saleh Husin and Yuddy Chrisnandi, kicked out from the Cabinet to provide seats to Golkar's Airlangga Hartarto, as industry minister, and PAN's Asman Abnur, as administrative and bureaucratic reform minister.
However, Hanura chairman Wiranto is now entrusted with leading the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, replacing Luhut Pandjaitan, who has been reassigned as coordinating maritime affairs minister.
The swap, Gun Gun said, was only a game of chess, which then sacrificed the posts filled by professional or non-political party members, like Anies Baswedan, Rizal Ramli and Sudirman Said. "Politically, kicking out professionals is less risky because they have less political backing," he said.
Gun Gun added that among the names on the new Cabinet list, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was the most encouraging one amid the country's discouraging economic conditions, replacing Bambang Brodjonegoro, who now helms the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas).
The World Bank managing director's return is expected to carry the country to a better economic level on account of her experience and proven commitment.
Siti Zuhro, a senior political analyst with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said the second Cabinet shake-up was full of political bargaining, thus it would be a difficult task ahead for Jokowi to gain control over his coalition.
"To make it work, Jokowi must be able to take control and be firm, so that no ministry will run individually like in the previous Cabinet," Siti said.
She also pointed out that a high number of parties in a coalition did guarantee a smooth-running government. Looking back to former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's coalition, which accommodated many parties but was faced with difficulties in running his programs.
Political researcher Arya Fernandes of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), however, projected that the new Cabinet would strengthen the political consolidation because Jokowi now held 70 percent of the legislative body, although he did not deny that it would not be easy to manage a "fat Cabinet" because some parties might have contradictory opinions.
"But the reshuffle shows that Jokowi himself wants to avoid polemic in the government coalition," Arya said.
Opposition Gerindra Party executive Desmond J. Mahesa accused Jokowi of having broken his promise to provide fewer political appointees in his Cabinet. "It may be preparation for his team to lead the country for five more years," he said.
"But whether the new Cabinet is more effective depends on Jokowi. The biggest challenge is to ensure that the Tax Amnesty Law is implemented well. It he can't do so, then all these ministers will mean nothing," he added.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/07/28/doubts-loom-over-new-cabinet-line.html.
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