The upcoming Cabinet in President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s second term appears to be a consolidation of power with the President accommodating varied interests from political parties, including those of his former rival. Such a consolidation of power was aimed at ensuring the government could smoothly implement its agenda over the next five years. While a consolidation of power would make the government more effective, it would potentially weaken the country’s democracy if it lacks a checks-and-balances mechanism, experts have said. The likely posture of the upcoming Cabinet was revealed publicly in the past two days when candidate ministers were summoned to the State Palace in Jakarta to talk with the President. After taking the presidential oath of office on Sunday, Jokowi spent two days inviting dozens of high profile people to fill the ministerial po...