Yasonna, who resigned from his position in late September and was inaugurated as member of the House of Representatives earlier this month, said that Jokowi had assigned him to, among other tasks, lead the deregulation process for overlapping regulations to improve the investment climate in the country. 

“[Jokowi] also requested that the two proposed omnibus laws, which he delivered in his [inaugural] speech, be immediately completed,” Yasonna told reporters after the meeting on Tuesday. 

Yasonna, who was appointed law and human rights minister in Oct. 2014, said he would immediately process his resignation from the House after his inauguration as a minister on Wednesday. “I am ready to work anywhere, but it’s such a great honor for me to return to help the President.”

Budi, meanwhile, said that Jokowi had assigned him to continue serving as transportation minister — a position he held from July 2016 — and to improve connectivity within the archipelago to help improve the country’s tourism sector and the delivery of logistics. 

“Our tasks in developing Indonesia are very challenging, but if we look at, for instance, Raja Ampat [in West Papua] and Labuan Bajo [East Nusa Tenggara], Indonesia has a lot of potential,” Budi said. 

Yasonna and Budi were among dozens of politicians, professionals and first-term ministers who were summoned by the President for talks regarding ministerial positions in Jokowi’s second-term Cabinet over the last two days. 

Tuesday saw many political party members from the ruling coalition arriving at the State Palace, including those from the Indonesian Party of Struggle (PDI-P), namely former House member Juliari Batubara and Tjahjo Kumolo, the home minister in Jokowi’s first-term Cabinet. 

At least three politicians from the National Awakening Party (PKB) had been summoned by Jokowi to the Palace as of Tuesday, including former lawmaker Ida Fauziah, PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar’s older brother Abdul Halim Iskandar and politician Agus Suparmanto.

NasDem Party secretary-general Johny G. Plate visited the palace in the afternoon, hours after two other NasDem politicians, Syahrul Yasin Limpo and Siti Nurbaya Bakar, the environment and forestry minister in Jokowi’s first Cabinet, attended separate meetings with the President.

Other politicians summoned by Jokowi included the United Development Party (PPP) acting chairman Suharso Monoarfa, Golkar Party member Zainudin Amali and Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, who was also the social affairs minister in Jokowi’s first-term Cabinet.

Jokowi is expected to announce the line-up of his second-term Cabinet on Wednesday. (afr)

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