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Professionals first
Winning a second term should allow any president to make an independent decision without having to bow to political pressure either from partners within the coalition or the opposition.
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo delivers a speech during the declaration of his and Ma'ruf Amin's victory in the 2019 presidential election at the General Elections Commission building in Central Jakarta on June 30, while vice president-elect Ma'ruf stands behind him. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
T
he concept of professionalism has certainly taken a beating recently. Even in places where meritocracy has long been the norm, competence and technocratic skills have been relegated to the back burner.
In the United Kingdom, Nigel Farage, a politician who has never won a seat in the country’s parliament, is now in control of the largest party in the European Parliament. And if the Conservative Party has its way, later this month Farage’s kindred spirit, Boris Johnson, a politician known more for his bluster than his policy chop, will assume the position of prime minister.
Late last week, we were again reminded that nepotism is making a comeback and that it has arrived in what was known as the bastion of meritocracy. Those who have long believed that diplomacy should be conducted by professional diplomats were rightly aghast at the sight of Ivanka Trump joining her father, United States President Donald Trump, on a trip to North Korea. During the Group of 20 Summit in Osaka she managed to insert herself into a conversation involving political heavyweights like French President Emmanuel Macron, International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde and British Prime Minister Theresa May.
When it comes to meritocracy, Indonesia is not exactly a country that puts a premium on technocratic skills. But in the past five years, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has installed a significant number of individuals whose backgrounds matched the ministerial posts the President wanted them to assume. In the event where Jokowi needed to have a Cabinet reshuffle, one of the chief considerations before dismissing a minister was whether she or he had done a good job. The ones that Jokowi retained, like Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadi Muljono, were team members who delivered on many fronts.
So, many were justifiably dismayed when soon after voting finished in April’s election, when the quick count indicated that he would win a second term, Jokowi stated that his second-term Cabinet would be filled mostly by political appointees. The latest maneuvering for Cabinet positions in the past few days has given us enough reason to be pessimistic over how Jokowi’s new Cabinet will shape up. His plan to offer Cabinet positions to political parties in Prabowo Subianto’s coalition will certainly leave less room for professionals and technocrats.
It should not be this way. Winning a second term should allow any president to make an independent decision without having to bow to political pressure either from partners within the coalition or the opposition. And given the tremendous challenges that he has to deal with in his second term; the future of his signature infrastructure projects, the multitude of human development programs and the fallout from the US-China trade war, President Jokowi needs all the help he can get in achieving a successful second term.
The world may have turned its back on professionalism, but President Jokowi should determine to make meritocracy great again.
