A

fter the party the hangover sets in. Following the evening of euphoria, discord and wariness sets in with the gray dawn light.

As Tuesday passed without the long-anticipated Cabinet announcement, disappointment loomed. And where there is disappointment, suspicion is not far behind.

Under the weight of expectations, the formation of the Cabinet is the first and most lasting test for President Joko '€œJokowi'€™ Widodo.

It is an early gauge of reform promises, the corollary to his declared ethic of '€œwork, work, work!'€

The second chapter of hope that galvanized the Jokowi phenomenon begins and ends with the Cabinet announcement. It is thus understandable if Jokowi is cautiously biding his time.

Law No. 39/2008 states the President must form a Cabinet no later than 14 days after inauguration.

The law also requires that the House of Representatives be consulted about changes to existing ministries '€” their dissolution or merger, etc. The House in turn must present its considerations to the President within seven days.

As 11th-hour '€œnegotiations'€ intensify however, the image emerging is not one of a President carefully contemplating the best persons for the job but a President having to fend off partisan demands for a lineup he does not want, and even wrestling with his own shortcomings when it comes to identifying the most suitable candidates.

The protagonists in this plot '€” President Jokowi, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri '€” have raised hopes so high that they are now bound by them.

The question is whether they can lower their egos toward a compromise that extends rather than deflates hope.

Having solicited the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to vet ministerial candidates, the President already has a strong tool to expunge those with questionable records known to civil society at large.

He should not bow to political pressure that seeks otherwise. It is clear that the judgement from these two institutions has rightly influenced the final lineup and is probably part of the reason for the delay.

How he deals with the mounting external political stresses will determine the perception of the Cabinet when it is announced in the next few days.

Will it be a Jokowi Cabinet? A Coalition Cabinet? Or a Megawati-endorsed Cabinet?

The role of the PDI-P chairwoman in these proceedings should by no means be understated.

It was her courage and humility that made her step aside to allow Jokowi the presidential nomination. But it could be the ambitions of her confidants that jeopardize the integrity of Jokowi'€™s Cabinet.

Any Indonesian Cabinet must be finely balanced. Whether that be in terms of political representation, ethnicity, religious affiliation or even gender balance. But there should be no strict formula in that respect.

A quota of political or gender representation, for example, only detracts from the merits of a performance-based government.

As former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has demonstrated so well, the politics of appeasement makes a shambles of effective governance.

President Jokowi said he held meetings until early on Tuesday morning to deliberate the Cabinet selection. It will take many more meetings lasting into the wee hours if he is intent on satisfying vested political interests.

The most worrying aspect, though, is not the delay in the announcement.

It is the fact that the process and names slowly being leaked do not inspire confidence.

Names that do not speak of integrity, reputations that do not reflect a positive move forward, characters that do not project hope.

Aspects in contention, on which the public will also judge the Cabinet, include the quality of the economic team, which is in danger of being compromised by ambition and a lack of innovation.

The principles of reform and civilian supremacy are unlikely to thrive in a Cabinet whose members are distrusted by civil society.

And a lack of courageous individuals selected to root out the cartels of vested interest embedded in the darkest nooks of government is unlikely to inspire hope.

What is worse than dashed hopes, is having one'€™s worst fears confirmed.

Indonesian politics is as fickle as the politicians in the legislature.

That sea of hopeful support that inundated Central Jakarta could quickly turn into a tide of discontent if that spirit of reform is not genuinely reflected in the upcoming Cabinet.