The newly inaugurated ministers and deputy ministers are expected to accelerate the performance of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s Cabinet, especially in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·4 minutes read
The inauguration of six new ministers and five new deputy ministers in the Indonesia Onward Cabinet on Wednesday (23/12/2020) is expected to add a new “spirit” to accelerate the government’s COVID-19 pandemic handling. It is hoped that their professional background and experience can make it easier for them to move quickly and cooperate with other bureaucrats in their ministry.
The newly sworn in Cabinet members are Social Affairs Minister Tri “Risma” Rismaharini, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno and Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
The President named Lt. Gen. M. Herindra as the new deputy defense minister, Edward OS Hiariej as the new deputy law and human rights minister, Dante Saksono Harbuwono as the new deputy health minister, Harvick Hasnul Qolbi as the new deputy agriculture minister and Pahala Nugraha Mansury as the new deputy state-owned enterprises (SOEs) minister.
Aside from the new ministers and deputy ministers, the President also inaugurated Hartono Prawiraatmadja as the head of the revamped Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) and Insp. Gen. Petrus Golose as the new chief of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN).
Scholar and senior economist Emil Salim deems the appointment of majority of the new ministers appropriate, considering their professional background and expertise, which is expected to bring a new “spirit” into the Cabinet. Previous experience of each of the new minister is hoped to be able to encourage them to work more quickly and accurately In dealing with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Risma, for example, is considered to have a high awareness of the poor, a quality that has been apparent since her tenure as the mayor of Surabaya. Furthermore, according to Emil, Budi’s managerial skills is the right solution for the country’s vaccination program, which will cover around 268 million people and thus requires well-prepared coordination. Meanwhile, the ministry also has Dante to cover medical-related issues.
According to Emil, the new ministers and deputy ministers have to adapt to the bureaucracy of their respective ministries so that they can work faster without bringing in more external staff. The ministries are deemed institutionally well-established and thus require only the leadership and commitment of the new ministers and deputy ministers, including in cooperating with other ministries.
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) professor Komaruddin Hidayat said that the ministers must be given optimal opportunities to serve the country. However, if their performances in the following six months are not optimal, they will have to be replaced.
On the other hand, the appointment of the new ministers and deputy ministers is also considering the balance of political power in the Cabinet, given that the political party that loses a ministerial seat gets another one, whether in the same or different ministry. “This shows that the President is maintaining the balance of political power in his coalition,” said United Development Party (PPP) secretary general.
Focusing in COVID-19 handling
According to a number of the new minister, they have been specifically tasked by the President to handle the COVID-19 pandemic as well as its impacts. “We are asked to focus on handling the pandemic quickly, as soon as possible,” Budi said.
After her inauguration, Risma immediately asked her aides at the Social Affairs Ministry to give their best, especially in distributing COVID-19 social assistance by the end of 2020 or early 2021. Risma also expressed her optimism that her ministry could implement work efficiency.
Let’s think about how we can efficiently manage the data, so the rest [of the budget] can be utilized to help others
Risma said she was surprised to find out that a Rp 1.3 trillion budget was allocated to manage data at the ministry. “That is a hefty amount of money. Let’s think about how we can efficiently manage the data, so the rest [of the budget] can be utilized to help others,” Risma said.
Meanwhile, President Jokowi asked Lutfi to keep the Trade Ministry’s focus in economic recovery, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Institute of Development on Economics and Finance (Indef) executive director Tauhid Ahmad hopes the new ministers will focus on policies to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, given that without overcoming the pandemic, it will be difficult to recover the economy, despite the amount of fiscal incentives provided by the government. (REK/NTA/INA/SYA/SON/AIK/TAN/MTK)