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Jokowi signals cabinet reshuffle could take place on Wednesday morning

“Wait and see tomorrow at 10 a.m.,” the President told journalists on Tuesday, without elaborating and while skirting questions about who would get replaced in the cabinet shake-up.

Radhiyya Indra (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, February 20, 2024

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Jokowi signals cabinet reshuffle could take place on Wednesday morning President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo (left) speaks with Defense Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto (right) on Feb. 19, 2024, before the inauguration of the National Defense Central Hospital (RSPPN) in Jakarta. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
Indonesia Decides

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has hinted that a cabinet reshuffle may happen as soon as Wednesday morning, in line with a previous plan from late last year.

The outgoing president fell short of confirming reports of a potential cabinet shake-up when confronted in Ancol, North Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon.

“Wait and see tomorrow at 10 a.m.,” he told journalists, without elaborating. He also skirted questions like who in the cabinet would get replaced or whether he would meet with more political party leaders.

Earlier that day, local media quoted politicians speaking about an impending reshuffle, in which Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Hadi Tjahjanto would become the new coordinating legal, political and security affairs minister, replacing Mahfud MD who resigned to run as a vice presidential candidate in last week’s election.

The reports also named Democratic Party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono as Hadi’s replacement at the helm of the spatial planning ministry. If confirmed, Hadi would replace Home Minister Tito Karnavian, who stepped up as ad interim coordinating minister after Mahfud’s exit.

The confirmation comes barely a week after the 2024 presidential election, ahead of which Jokowi had faced accusations of mobilizing state resources in support of presumptive winner Prabowo Subianto.

It also comes after Prabowo visited Agus’ father, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in Pacitan, East Java, as well as Jokowi’s meeting with NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh in Jakarta, both on the weekend.

Jokowi has voiced his intention to reshuffle his cabinet since October 2023, around the time that NasDem politician Syahrul Yasin Limpo resigned from his post as agriculture minister over a graft investigation at the ministry.

The President ended up reappointing longtime supporter Amran Sulaiman to replace Syahrul on Oct. 25. Amran previously held the ministerial position from 2014 to 2019 during Jokowi’s first term in office.

Analysts have deemed Jokowi’s plans for a reshuffle as an opportunity for him to consolidate power in his final year before stepping down, but he has refrained from pulling the trigger since the campaign season started.

More recently, critics have shunned the President’s political maneuvers right after survey agencies confirmed Prabowo’s election win in several quick counts. Official election returns are not due until next month.

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