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New economic team ‘best option’ but raises concerns
A Herculean task looms amid the threat of a global recession and the United States-China trade war.
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin with their Cabinet members. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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usiness players and economic observers are voicing mixed opinions over President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s new economic team for his second term, as a Herculean task looms amid the threat of a global recession and the United States-China trade war.
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) said the composition of Jokowi’s new Cabinet was the “best option”, while economic observers welcomed the appointment of ministers with caution, raising concerns of a “lack of breakthrough” to turn around the economic slowdown.
“We support President Joko Widodo’s second term administration to cut red tape and deregulate. That’s because so far, complex regulatory issues and lengthy bureaucratic processes have been costly for the business sector,” said Kadin chairman Rosan P. Roeslani.
The new economic team will be led by respected coordinating ministers: Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartato for economic affairs and retired army general Luhut Pandjaitan for maritime affairs and investment.
Familiar faces from the previous administration include Sri Mulyani Indrawati as finance minister, Basuki Hadimuljono as public works and housing minister, Budi Karya Sumadi as transportation minister and Sofyan Djalil as agrarian and spatial planning minister. Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, who replaced fellow Golkar member Idrus Marham as social affairs minister in August 2018, returns to the Cabinet as industry minister.
Newcomers include PKB politician Agus Suparmanto as trade minister, former Indonesian ambassador to Japan and long-time private sector executive Arifin Tasrif as energy and mineral resources minister and media mogul Erick Thohir as state-owned enterprises minister.
Read also: BREAKING: Jokowi announces his new Cabinet. Here’s the line up
