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Jokowi to fill empty sports minister seat ‘soon’
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Then-youth and sports minister Zainudin Amali (right), Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) chairman Erick Thohir (left) and Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka (center) inspect progress on construction activities at Manahan Stadium in Surakarta, Central Java, on March 12, in preparation for it to serve as a venue for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. (Antara/Maulana Surya)
W
eeks after former youth and sports minister Zainudin Amali tendered his resignation, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo indicated on Wednesday that he would name a replacement in the coming days.
“Soon,” Jokowi said in response to a question on the sidelines of a working visit to Maros, South Sulawesi, regarding the timing of a potential appointment.
Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy is currently acting as interim sports minister following Zainudin’s withdrawal from the Cabinet on Feb. 16 to focus on his new position as deputy chairman of the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI).
The President did not give any hints about who would replace Zainudin or if he would make any changes to the Cabinet beyond filling the vacant youth and sports minister seat.
Previously, analysts had predicted that ministers from the NasDem Party would be the target of a reshuffle, given the party’s support for opposition figure and presidential hopeful Anies Baswedan and the fact that at least one NasDem minister is undergoing questioning in a criminal case.
Last week, Jokowi acknowledged that the Golkar Party had submitted three names from its ranks as potential candidates for the next youth and sports minister.
“Party chairman [Airlangga Hartarto] has already submitted the candidates to the President. All that’s left to do is wait and see which name will be chosen,” Golkar secretary general Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus told reporters on March 14, state news outlet Antara reported.
