The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the political party of President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, has ratcheted up pressure for a Cabinet reshuffle by singling out underperforming ministers.

PDI-P executive Rokhmin Dahuri said the party'€™s central board was concerned about several members who it considered had hampered government efforts to promote economic growth and development.

'€œWe, for example, have warned about [the performance of] the Agriculture Ministry. [Agriculture Minister] Amran [Sulaiman] always avoids discussing [policies] about things other than rice, although we desperately need to reduce our dependence on rice, as the level of rice consumption in Indonesia is currently the world'€™s highest,'€ he said on Saturday.

Rokhmin, who leads the PDI-P'€™s maritime affairs department, also said that the majority of Cabinet members had not done a good job in communicating policies or seeking input.

'€œIt is very difficult for farmers, fishermen or businesspeople to meet with these ministers. We have shared this concern with the President,'€ Rohmin said.

Several months after his inauguration as the country'€™s seventh president, Jokowi has been subject to criticism for his failure to make significant progress, especially in the economy.

Jokowi'€™s decision to cut long-standing fuel subsidies, as well as a failure to control the sliding rupiah, have also led his popularity to slump.

A recent survey by Jakarta-based pollster Poltracking Indonesia said 48.5 percent of 1,200 respondents were dissatisfied with the government'€™s performance, versus 44 percent who were satisfied.

The survey '€” conducted in 33 of the country'€™s 34 provinces from March 23 to 31 '€” also said that government performed worst on economic issues, with only 28.7 percent satisfied with the government'€™s achievements in the past six months.

Politicians from both the PDI-P-led ruling Great Indonesia Coalition and the opposition Red-and-White Coalition have encouraged the President to reshuffle the Cabinet.

Last month, Vice President Jusuf Kalla spoke out about a potential reshuffle, declining to say when the President would officially announce it.

If Jokowi finally decides on a reshuffle, he must replace ministers whose policies had created economic woes, Rokhmin said.

He singled out Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi'€™s decision to ban all government officials from holding meetings and conferences in hotels, a policy that was a major blow to the hospitality industry, as one such blunder.

Analysts, however, doubted if a Cabinet reshuffle could improve Jokowi'€™s performance.

Poltracking executive director Hanta Yuda said President Jokowi should stabilize basic staple food prices and improve communications. '€œThe government needs an integrated public communication strategy to ensure that all ministries send a similar message to the public,'€ Hanta said.

Enny Sri Hartati, of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance, concurred. '€œThe government, so far, has only offered a few breakthroughs. Apart from a fiscal stimulus from the state budget, businesspeople also need ['€¦] simplified rules to obtain business permits and efforts to cut red tape,'€ she said.

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