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Jokowi urged to appoint new energy minister immediately
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Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan (center) talks to journalists after a discussion at a Bank Indonesia regional meeting on the maritime industry and tourism in Batam, Riau Islands province, on Aug 12. (JP/Anton Hermansyah)
F
ollowing the dismissal of Arcandra Tahar from his post as energy and mineral resources minister, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo needs to immediately appoint a new minister to avoid a prolonged leadership void, Fabby Tumiwa, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) executive director has said.
Fabby said in a statement as quoted by tempo.co that the swift appointment would rebuild trust among businesspeople and ensure sustained policy and regulation in the energy and mineral resources sector, adding that rumors surrounding Arcandra’s citizenship had undermined public trust and credibility of the government.
He advised President Jokowi against keeping Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan as acting energy minister for a prolonged period of time.
According to Fabby, Luhut was not the right pick to replace Arcandra, as Luhut was deemed to have many interests in the energy and mineral sector with his reported ownership in PT Toba Sejahtera, which owns four coal mining concessions, an oil and gas block on Madura Island and several power plants, including one in Palu, Central Sulawesi. (dmr)
