Clarify Duties of Deputy Ministers

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Budi Gunadi Sadikin is introduced by President Joko Widodo as the deputy state-owned enterprises minister at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Friday (25/10/2019). A total of 12 deputy ministers for 11 ministries were sworn on Friday.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – President Joko Widodo inaugurated 12 deputy ministers at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday (25/10/2019), in an effort to boost the effectiveness of the Indonesia Onward Cabinet. In order to eliminate the impression of power-sharing and conflicts of interests at ministries, the duties of these deputy ministers must be clarified right from the start.

The 12 deputy ministers come from diverse backgrounds. Five are professionals, namely Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar, Deputy Environment and Forestry Minister Alue Dohong, Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara and Deputy State Owned Enterprises Ministers Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Kartika Wirjoatmodjo.

Five other deputy ministers have backgrounds in politics, namely Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi, Deputy Public Works and Housing Minister Wempi Wetipo, Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga, Deputy Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Surya Tjandra and Deputy Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Angela Herliani Tanoesoedibjo.

“I believe that the deputy ministers that we have chosen are great figures. They will provide support for ministers in boosting the performance of the Indonesia Onward Cabinet,”

Two deputy ministers were volunteers and members of the Jokowi-Ma’ruf Amin national campaign team, namely Deputy Defense Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono and Deputy Villages and Disadvantaged Regions Minister Budi Arie Setiadi.

“I believe that the deputy ministers that we have chosen are great figures. They will provide support for ministers in boosting the performance of the Indonesia Onward Cabinet,” President Jokowi said, accompanied by Vice President Ma’ruf Amin when introducing the deputy ministers.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

President Joko Widodo (fourth left) and Vice President Ma\'ruf Amin (fifth left) pose for a photograph with deputy minister candidates in the Indonesia Onward Cabinet before attending the inauguration ceremony at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Friday (25/10/2019). A total of 12 deputy ministers for 11 ministries were sworn on Friday.

Regulation

The appointment of deputy ministers is regulated by Law No. 39/2008 on state ministries. The law’s Article 10 stipulates that the President can appoint deputy ministers in certain ministries with extra workloads that require special attention.

There were deputy ministers in the Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla administration and during Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s presidency.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) researcher Syarif Hidayat said that the appointment of deputy ministers was understandable and legal, depending on the ministries’ needs and workloads. However, the duties of deputy ministers must be clarified in order to make their role more effective.

“If deputy ministers carry out technical things, there may be conflicts with directors general at ministries. For administrative affairs, there are ministry secretariats,” Syarif said.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Angela Herliani Tanoesoedibjo prepares to be sworn in as deputy tourism minister and deputy head of the Creative Economy Agency by President Joko Widodo at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Friday (25/10/2019). A total of 12 deputy ministers for 11 ministries were sworn on Friday.

According to Syarif, deputy ministers can split duties with ministers through a delegation of tasks. Ministers as decision makers can delegate some of their decision-making duties to deputy ministers.

However, this sharing of duties must involve both the minister and the deputy minister and the President must be informed. “If the duties of deputy ministers are unclear, there are concerns that the position will only represent political considerations and a quid pro quo rather than boosting a ministry’s performance,” Syarif said.

Separately, Centre for Strategic and International Studies researcher Vidhyandika Djati Perkasa said the deputy ministers would only consume state funds and lead to an ineffective bureaucracy if they were appointed only for purposes of power-sharing.

Read more : President to Inaugurate Deputy Ministers Today

Vidhyandika said that looking at certain deputy ministers, suspicions that power-sharing was in play were understandable.

However, presidential spokesman Fadjroel Rachman rejected this accusation. “This is not [power-sharing]. This is to utilize the nation’s best sons and daughters. To be precise, this is the face of united Indonesia. All the big Islands are represented: Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua,” he said.

(REK/CAS/MED/LAS/NTA/INA/EDN/AGE)