S

peculation over a Cabinet shake-up remains rife as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo continued to evaluate the performances of ministers in his Cabinet last week.

Ministers are political appointees, however, questions remain whether another reshuffle will bring about more effective coordination between ministers given that in the year after Jokowi reshuffled his Cabinet last August, a lack of coordination and conflicting statements among a number of ministers have continued.

Apparent disagreements have occurred, for example, between Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Rizal Ramli and Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said over the gas-rich Masela block development; between Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno over the country’s controversial high-speed railway project. Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman and Trade Minister Thomas Lembong also disagreed over food stocks and whether or not the government should import staple foods as each ministry’s data on food production and food needs contradicted the other.

Amran was among ministers who were summoned by Jokowi to closed-door meetings at the State Palace last week. Amran, along with Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) admitted that their meetings were in connection with their performances. However, the two remained unfazed by the reshuffle rumors, saying that they were continuing doing their best to meet Jokowi’s expectations.

Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Attorney General M. Prasetyo of the Nasdem Party, who are rumored to be among those that might lose their seats, were also summoned last week. Besides Imam, speculation was also rife that the Villages, Disadvantages Regions and Transmigration Ministry post, currently held by PKB politician Marwan Jafar, might be transferred to someone else.

The Golkar Party, the country’s oldest political party, which recently pledged support for Jokowi’s administration, could potentially get one or two ministerial posts in the next reshuffle, while the National Mandate Party (PAN) could possibly get one.

Among the possible reasons for the Cabinet reshuffle delay is the ongoing internal dynamics within Golkar, which recently submitted five names of candidates to represent the party in the Cabinet.

Although the final decision is Jokowi’s to make, party elites are still discussing a consensus on who to endorse because an internal rift persists. Various sources within the party told The Jakarta Post that Golkar would likely endorse senior politician Siswono Yudo Husodo, who is well connected to the family and friends of former president Suharto and who could channel this support to the government.

Golkar will hold a national leadership meeting next week, during which the party is slated to re-declare support for Jokowi’s nomination in the 2019 election.

Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto, attending the PKB’s 18th anniversary event on Saturday, insisted that his party would not take the village and transmigration post from the PKB. Golkar secretary general Idrus Marham has also signaled he would not take Marwan’s position.

Nasdem Party chairman Surya Paloh also visited the State Palace last week, for what the party insisted was merely to attend a halal bihalal, or post-Ramadhan, gathering. Nasdem has recently hinted that it would be ready to accept should Jokowi decide to remove its politician Ferry Mursyidan Baldan from the agrarian and spatial planning ministerial post, but would oppose the removal of its two other Cabinet members — Prasetyo and Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar.

Presidential spokesman Johan Budi said, however, played down the reshuffle speculation.

“As regards a reshuffle, it is solely in the hands of the President. While such evaluations are conducted all the time; nothing about it is extraordinary,” Johan said recently, adding that the evaluation would cover how well the ministers implemented Jokowi’s instructions. (win)
_______________________________________________