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PDI-P urges Jokowi to sack Attorney General Prasetyo

Amid rising speculation that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will reshuffle his Cabinet for the second time this year, the leader of the ruling coalition, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has made known to the President those figures it would like to see replaced

Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, November 9, 2015

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PDI-P urges Jokowi to sack Attorney General Prasetyo

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mid rising speculation that President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo will reshuffle his Cabinet for the second time this year, the leader of the ruling coalition, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has made known to the President those figures it would like to see replaced.

However, the PDI-P, perhaps realizing that such tactics only benefit rival parties, is refraining from ultimatums, menaces and threats.

One of the party'€™s most outspoken legislators, Masinton Pasaribu, said on Sunday that his party had proposed the replacement of Attorney General M. Prasetyo from the NasDem Party. According to Masinton, the party'€™s reasons for wanting to see the back of Prasetyo include the latter recently being linked to a graft case investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), as well as his perceived poor performance as attorney general.

'€œWe'€™ll let the President make the decision,'€ he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. Asked about Prasetyo'€™s performance, he said, '€œI think it'€™s only OK '€” there is nothing extraordinary about it.'€

Calls have mounted for Jokowi to remove Prasetyo from Cabinet after the KPK named Patrice Rio Capella, then secretary-general of the pro-government NasDem Party, a suspect; Patrice is accused of receiving bribes connected with his role in lobbying Prasetyo to halt a graft investigation into North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho at the Attorney General'€™s Office (AGO).

'€œThe PDI-P will agree to whatever decision is made by the President with regard to [the upcoming] Cabinet reshuffle,'€ Masinton stressed.

On Saturday, meanwhile, another senior PDI-P executive, Andreas Hugo Pareira, cited the blunt refusal of the House of Representatives to provide fresh state capital injections to state enterprises as his party'€™s reason to again call for the dismissal of State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno.

'€œAs an example, let'€™s look at the huge amount of money required for state financing and state capital injections. It is obvious that these do not receive priority in the Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla government,'€ Andreas said during a public discussion in Jakarta.

Rumors of a follow-up to August'€™s Cabinet reshuffle have been increasingly rife following the National Mandate Party'€™s (PAN) decision to join the pro-government Great Indonesia Coalition, a move seen by many as a way to get Cabinet seats in Jokowi'€™s administration.

Meanwhile, PAN politician Mulfachri Harahap, who currently serves as deputy chairman of House Commission III overseeing legal affairs, human rights and security, said on Sunday that his party was not urging Jokowi to conduct an immediate reshuffle as the President was currently focusing his attention on many other important issues.

'€œWe have a whole agenda of issues to get to grips with, such as economic recovery and preparations ahead of the advent of the ASEAN Economic Community,'€ Mulfachri said.

Expected reshuffles, he said, often generated more heated public debate than their reality merited.

'€œThe President should consider whether a Cabinet reshuffle is even truly necessary,'€ he said.

Speculation doing the rounds of late has seen Mulfachri'€™s name among those considered a potential candidate to replace Prasetyo, in the event of the latter being dismissed.

Meanwhile Taufik Basari from NasDem said his party would not intervene to influence Jokowi'€™s decision regarding Prasetyo'€™s future.

'€œIt'€™s up to the President and we can only advise that he always stick to his vision and mission in every decision he makes,'€ Taufik said. (foy)
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