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Jokowi plans cabinet reshuffle to consolidate power
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Leadership meeting: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (fourth right), accompanied by Vice President Ma’ruf Amin (third right), leads a limited cabinet meeting on Sept. 27, 2023, at Merdeka Palace. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is planning to make new appointments to strategic positions this week, a Palace official has said, a move analysts say could shift the balance of power between the popular outgoing leader and his Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) amid frayed ties.
The expected reshuffle comes against a backdrop of political drama in the past week, which saw Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son and the mayor of Surakarta, become the running mate of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.
Ari Dwipayana, presidential expert staff coordinator, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that “an inauguration ceremony of state officials has been planned for tomorrow [Wednesday] at the State Palace.”
“Regarding who is appointed and in what position, I will update this again later,” he added.
The President hinted on Tuesday that he might reshuffle his cabinet sometime this week, saying the agriculture minister post was among those under consideration for the shake-up. The position has been vacant since Syahrul Yasin Limpo of the NasDem Party resigned early this month over allegations of corruption at the ministry.
“It might be this week. It is currently being prepared," Jokowi told reporters.
Once a close ally of the President, NasDem has seen its relationship with Jokowi sour since it named opposition figure Anies Baswedan its presidential candidate for next year’s election. Anies is set to run with Muhaimin Iskandar, leader of National Awakening Party (PKB), which has close ties to the country’s largest Muslim group, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
