Prior to the start of his second term, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said he would be able to govern “without burden” and promised a Cabinet full of youthful faces and professionals. However, with six coalition parties to accommodate, experts and activists are saying that the new Cabinet leaves much to be desired.

“In general, Jokowi’s Cabinet is a Cabinet full of political accommodations and compromise,” Parameter Politik Indonesia executive director Adi Prayitno told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

“Even besides that, it is not an ideal Cabinet because there are several ministerial positions that have been filled with people with unsuitable backgrounds.”

The President introduced the 38 members of his new Indonesia Maju (Indonesia Onward) Cabinet, who are to help him spearhead his administration until 2024, on Wednesday, three days after taking his oath to serve his second and final term.

The Cabinet includes 17 party representatives, including two from rival-turned-ally Gerindra. The 22 other ministers come from nonpartisan backgrounds, with a former police general, three retired military generals, Home Minister Tito Karnavian, Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto and Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko all filling seats.

Other new, nonparty faces include former Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD as coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister, Gojek founder Nadiem Makarim as education and culture minister and tycoon Erick Thohir as state-owned enterprises minister.

Activists have criticized that a number of positions that were previously filled by professionals have now gone to politicians. For example, the Communications and Information Ministry, previously headed by former telecommunications company executive Rudiantara, is now helmed by NasDem secretary-general Johnny G. Plate, while the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, previously headed by self-made businesswoman Susi Pudjiastuti, has now gone to Gerindra executive Edhy Prabowo.

“SAFEnet views that the return of the communications and information minister position to a political party shows that the ministry’s future direction should be scrutinized because there are many problems that the new minister must solve,” Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) executive director Damar Juniarto said in a statement on Wednesday, citing the need to revise the Electronic Information and Transactions Law and to pass the data protection bill.

Indonesian Traditional Fishermen Association head Marthin Hadiwinata bemoaned the appointment of Edhy, saying that the ministry should be led by a professional who “understands the issue of fishery production from the grass roots to national policy”.

Some of the nonparty appointments have also raised eyebrows, with Nadiem’s role in particular drawing criticism. A successful entrepreneur, Nadiem was expected to fill a role related to the economy or technology, but he was slotted into the Education and Culture Ministry instead.

“What does Nadiem know about education in this country?” Indonesia Teacher’s Alliance chairman Muhammad Ramli Rahim asked in a statement on Wednesday.

Terawan is another choice that was questioned, with the former Gatot Subroto Army Hospital head having previously been suspended by the Indonesian Medical Association for an ethics violation over his unorthodox “brainwash” treatment.

“With the President having to juggle the interests of so many different parties, it is understandable that he has to accommodate and compromise with political appointments,” Jakarta-based pollster Populi Center director Usep S. Ahyar told the Post.

“But the fact that even professionals like Nadiem are put in positions that are not great fits is disappointing.”

Usep said that, with no experience in the public sector, Nadiem, the youngest minister in the lineup at only 35, would likely find it hard to navigate the Education and Culture Ministry’s huge bureaucracy, especially since it now had to deal with higher education institutions.

“Facing all the complicated problems of Indonesia’s education system will be difficult, especially having to deal with universities whose rectors might have large egos and don’t want to answer to someone like Nadiem, who is still very young and does not have an academic background,” Usep said.

Aditya Perdana of the University of Indonesia's Center for Political Studies said Nadiem’s appointment was in line with Jokowi’s stated priority of developing tech-savvy human resources.

“A ministerial position is a political appointment,” he said. “So not all ministers have to have the technical ability that fits their position.”

Aditya said the appointment of former police and military generals, especially in positions not normally held by those with such backgrounds, was more telling.

“To me, this shows that Jokowi formed the Cabinet with security issues at the front of his mind, particularly issues regarding radicalism and intolerance,” Aditya said, citing Jokowi’s statement that Fachrul would be tasked with “handling radicalism”.

He added that the selection of Nahdlatul Ulama-affiliated Mahfud MD and Muhammadiyah-affiliated Muhadjir Effendy for two coordinating ministry positions was another sign that the President had countering radicalism as one of his main priorities.

The addition of generals raises its own questions. Over the past few months, civil society organizations have decried the increasing prominence of police and military officers in civilian institutions, raising concerns that it heralded a return to the dwifungsi (dual function) role that security forces had during the New Order.

“There have been concerns that [the presence of former military and police members] means Jokowi, who comes from a civilian background, has changed,” Aditya said.

“This has to be scrutinized and hopefully the appointment of Mahfud MD as coordinating minister can help counterbalance the military influence.”

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