W

hile maintaining his casual demeanor, President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo has insisted on firmness in his mission, telling his Cabinet members that his modest manner does not mean they can take it easy.

A few hours after inaugurating his Cabinet on Monday, Jokowi sent a clear message to his ministers that he expected them not only to work hard but also to be willing to work under his command.

Speaking in his first Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace, Jokowi instructed his newly appointed ministers to strictly follow his guidelines and get familiar with the cross-organizational work style he will apply for the next five years.

He stressed that his ministers'€™ duty was to implement the President'€™s vision, mission and main programs. '€œ[Separate] ministerial visions and missions no longer exist as we have to work and [follow] a straight line based on my direction,'€ Jokowi said.

Jokowi also reminded his ministers to put aside their '€œsectoral egos'€ as they would be asked to intensively coordinate with other ministers to resolve problems. '€œWe can'€™t do anything alone,'€ he said.

A week after taking the oath as Indonesia'€™s seventh president, Jokowi inaugurated his 34 ministers, 14 of whom are political appointees, in a ceremony held on Monday at the Presidential Palace.

The ceremony, held only hours after Jokowi announced his Cabinet lineup at the same venue on Sunday, began at 11:30 a.m., with ministers wearing brown, long-sleeved batik dress.

Just like the announcement event, the ceremony looked less formal than those held during the leadership of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in which newly appointed ministers dressed in either a suit or a kebaya (traditional blouse).

Leaders of political parties such as Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh, as well as the leaders of legislative bodies including Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker Irman Gusman and People'€™s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, were also present at the inauguration.

It has often been claimed that Jokowi, who started his public career as Surakarta mayor, would be dictated to by national political elites, including the political parties that have supported him.

In his own relaxed way since his inauguration a week ago, however, he has stamped his authority on his environment by doing things his own way.

After the ceremony, Jokowi took First Lady Iriana, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Kalla'€™s wife Mufidah in a four-seat presidential golf cart, which he drove himself, to Presidential Palace, the President'€™s official residence, where he, Kalla and their ministers gathered to take their first official group photos until 1 p.m.

The wife of Youth and Sports Minister, and National Awakening Party (PKB) politician, Imam Nahrawi, Shobibah Rohmah, who witnessed her husband'€™s hectic activities on Monday, said she was ready to support her husband in his new job.

'€œMy children and I understand that [Imam'€™s] busy routine is the consequence of his decision to become a politician. Now, we happily wish him good luck in the new job,'€ the mother-of-seven told reporters.

A long list of managerial duties, however, is not the only challenge faced by Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Indroyono Soesilo, and the other ministers chosen to lead newly established ministries.

After the Cabinet meeting, Indroyono, who still has no official headquarters or staff, rushed to leave the Presidential Palace as he wanted to get to his temporary office at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) headquarters in Central Jakarta.

Indroyono, however, insisted the lack of a permanent office and staff would not hinder his work.

'€œToday, we can run a [virtual] office with support from the Internet, Wi-Fi networks, video conferences or teleconferences,'€ he said.