New Ministers Challenged to Overcome Real Problems

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Wempi Watimpo, Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/Deputy Head of the National Land Agency Hadi Tjahjanto, Deputy Minister of ATR/BPN Raja Juli Antoni, and Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor talking after being sworn in by President Joko Widodo at the Palace Negara, Jakarta, Wednesday (15/6/2022).

The newly appointed ministers and deputy ministers are faced with the challenge to immediately resolve the economic problems of the people. At the same time, the inclusion of the National Mandate Party (PAN) into the cabinet is feared to cause an imbalance in the House of Representatives.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Two political parties outside the government, namely the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), have challenged the newly appointed ministers and deputy ministers to solve the real economic problems of the nation. If they cannot cope with the problems, the public trust in the government will decline.

Spokesman for the PKS Ahmad Mabruri said in Jakarta, on Thursday (16/6/2022), that the changes in the Cabinet after the reshuffle should be able to solve the real problems of the nation. Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Zulkifli Hasan who was appointed as Trade Minister to replace Muhammad Lutfi, for example, should be able to cope with the problems of soaring food prices and food availability.

"They must move quickly to solve people's real problems. They, for example, should be able to solve the problem of high cooking oil prices in less than 30 days so that the benchmark and timeline are clear," he said.

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If they cannot work as expected, he continued, it will have an impact on public confidence in the government of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as public expectations, namely the resolution of problems that the previous ministers could not resolve, cannot be realized.

Three of the five ministers and deputy ministers who were appointed by the President on Wednesday (15/6), are high-ranking members of the coalition party supporting the government. PAN chairman Zulkifli Hasan was appointed as Trade Minister, the secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Solidarity Party, Raja Juli Antoni as Agrarian and Spatial Planning Deputy Minister/deputy head of the National Land Agency (BPN) and secretary-general of the Crescent Star Party Afriansyah Noor as Deputy Manpower Minister.

Meanwhile, former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Hadi Tjahjanto was appointed as Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister/ head of BPN and John Wempi Wetipo, Deputy Public Works and Public Housing Minister, was named as Deputy Home Minister.

KRISTI DWI UTAMI

Two tankers transporting cooking oil in Dampyak Village, Kramat District, Tegal Regency, Central Java, Wednesday (1/12/2021).

Spokesman for the Democratic Party, Herzaky Mahendra Putra, reminded the new ministers and deputy ministers that they should work optimally. They must show that the public skepticism over the appointment of party leaders to be able to improve the government’s performance was unfounded.

The presence of Zulkifli and the leaders of three other political parties in the cabinet is considered necessary to maintain political stability, especially during the end of Jokowi’s government. This is because political disturbances usually occur at the end of a reign.

Imbalance

Head of the Department of Politics and Social Change at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Arya Fernandes, said the inclusion of PAN in the government coalition would add to political imbalance in the House. Currently the coalition comprises parties that control 82 percent of the total seats in the House. Only 18 percent of seats are held by non-coalition government parties.

"Non-coalition parties will certainly find it difficult when there is a need to vote in deciding certain policies," he said.

However, by including most of the political parties in the House, he cannot guarantee the solidity of the coalition.

According to Arya, by bringing together seven of the nine political parties in the House into the government, President Jokowi wants to ensure the sustainability of programs and strategic legislation that have been prepared during his tenure. However, by including most of the political parties in the House, he cannot guarantee the solidity of the coalition.

Parties will be busy with their own goals ahead of the 2024 General Election. Moreover, several of the party chairmen who are now ministers have shown their intention to compete in the 2024 Presidential Election.

Control on government

The deputy chairman of PAN, Yandri Susanto, said that although the party’s chairman had officially joined the coalition government, his party was committed to continue carrying out its control function over the government. Of course, there will be a change in how to deliver criticism, he said. For example, in criticizing the government, it should act like a friend reminding another friend.

He emphasized that PAN and its chairman Zulkifli Hasan, now Trade Minister, were committed to working for the welfare of the people.

KOMPAS/ALIF ICHWAN

A number of residents hold their land certificates during the submission of certificates of land rights throughout the Greater Jakarta area in Jakarta, Sunday (20/8/2017).

Deputy chairperson of the Golkar Party, Nurul Arifin, said it could not be denied that the cabinet reshuffle was needed in order to maintain political stability in the midst of various crises, ranging from the Russia-Ukraine war, the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.

Political parties in the House could still give inputs to the government if needed.

Even though the government coalition comprises seven political parties in the House, said Nurul, it did not mean that the control function was weakened. Before PAN joined, political parties already held a dominant position, but there were no efforts to silence criticism. Political parties in the House could still give inputs to the government if needed.

The chairman of the United Development Party’s executive board, Achmad Baidowi, said the inclusion of PAN into the coalition government was a good step in the context of political consolidation. Regarding the control over the government, each member of the coalition in the House should be responsible for supervising each of its partners in the government.

"Even if he comes from a government coalition, he will still be criticized in the House," he said. (SYA/NIA/CAS)

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)