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Jokowi places more loyalists in top positions ahead of elections
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (right) greets newly appointed Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman (left) after the latter's inauguration at the State Palace in Jakarta on Oct. 25, 2023. The post’s previous occupant, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, tendered his resignation after being named a suspect in a graft case involving the Agriculture Ministry. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appointed more loyalists to top positions on Wednesday as the end of his presidency approaches, a move that analysts say is likely meant to accommodate allies whom he can rely on to ensure the political future of his eldest son without escalating tensions with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
The changes come just three months after Jokowi installed another handful of loyalists in his cabinet.
In a ceremony at the State Palace on Wednesday, the President named Amran Sulaiman the new agriculture minister to replace NasDem Party member Syahrul Yasin, who resigned earlier this month over a corruption investigation at the ministry. NasDem supports opposition presidential candidate Anies Baswedan.
Amran, whose education and career have revolved around agriculture, returns to the same position he held from 2014 to 2019, during Jokowi’s first term.
He is a longtime Jokowi supporter who coordinated an eastern Indonesia supporters’ group during Jokowi’s 2014 election campaign.
Amran, who is unaffiliated with any political party, has forged close ties with presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto of the Gerindra Party, who is running with Jokowi’s son and vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka in next year’s election and has pledged to continue Jokowi’s policies and programs. Amran and Prabowo have met several times over the past few months, culminating in the retired general hinting in early August that Amran could help him with his presidential campaign.
Also at Wednesday’s ceremony, the President promoted Lt. Gen. Agus Subiyanto, a former commander of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres), from Army deputy chief of staff to Army chief of staff to replace Gen. Dudung Abdurachman, who retires next month.
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