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Jokowi picks political, business figures as presidential advisers
New advisers: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo inaugurates nine members of the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres) at the State Palace in Jakarta on Friday
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ew advisers: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo inaugurates nine members of the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres) at the State Palace in Jakarta on Friday. They are Sidarto Danusubroto of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), founder of the Hanura Party Wiranto, businessman Arifin Panigoro, Agung Laksono of the Golkar Party, businesswoman Putri Kuswisnuwardhani, businessman Dato Sri Tahir, Muhammad Mardiono of the United Development Party, ulema Habib Muhammad Lutfi bin Yahya and former East Java governor Soekarwo. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appointed on Friday nine notable figures with political and business backgrounds, among others, as members of the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres) who will be among his closest confidantes.
Experts see the lineup as yet another consolidatory move made by Jokowi, like the way he formed his second-term Cabinet and expert staff.
Speaking after the swearing-in ceremony at the State Palace on Friday, Jokowi said he had selected the advisory board members based on their proven track records, capabilities and integrity.
“I believe they have the [skills and knowledge] to advise the President, whether by request or unsolicited,” Jokowi said.
The President appointed former political, legal and security affairs minister and Hanura Party patron Wiranto to lead the board, replacing Gadjah Mada University (UGM) economist Sri Adiningsih, who served as Wantimpres chair during Jokowi’s first term.
Wiranto was offered the position after Hanura Party chairman Oesman Sapta Odang declined it earlier on Friday, saying that the role would require him to give up his chairmanship and he would rather continue to manage his party.
From the political circle, the board includes Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Sidarto Danusubroto, who continues his role from the 2014-2019 period, United Development Party (PPP) politician Muhammad Mardiono and the Golkar Party’s Agung Laksono.
To represent the country's religious circles, Jokowi chose former East Java governor Soekarwo and Habib Muhammad Lutfi bin Yahya, a notable ulema who has ties with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country’s largest Muslim mass organization.
From the business side, he selected Mayapada Group founder Dato Sri Tahir, Medco Energy founder Arifin Panigoro and Putri Kuswisnuwardhani, president director of cosmetics company Mustika Ratu.
According to Article 12 of Law No. 19/2006, Wantimpres members are required to relinquish their positions at political parties, mass organizations, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and private companies, among other institutions, before serving as the president's advisers.
The law also stipulates that the board’s tenure follows a president’s five-year term, unless the latter chooses to dismiss a member from their position.
Jokowi said he believed Wiranto’s longstanding service in the government would serve him well.
Wiranto thanked Jokowi for appointing him as Wantimpres chair, saying that he hoped the board would be able to provide sound advice to the President. “It’s not easy to give suggestions to the President,” he said after the swearing-in ceremony. “Hopefully, we can contribute insights and ideas from different perspectives.”
Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) researcher Arya Fernandes said Jokowi's second term had been marked by too much political consolidation in almost every political structure.
"He did this for the sake of political stability. We can see that political parties are dominating his circle, even though they contributed little to his reelection."
Arya added that Jokowi seemed increasingly distanced from the people, especially with some of his recent policies stirring up public concerns, such as a revision to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law.
"The board could actually help him reconnect with the public. But by appointing political figures, Jokowi has made it clear that he wants to strike a political balance. The board includes representatives of several parties, including parties outside the government coalition," he said referring to Soekarwo, who has past ties to the Democratic Party.
Indonesia Political Review executive director Ujang Komarudin said the President appeared to be more accommodative to various political interests, but the board's influence might not significantly affect his policies. "For the sake of stability, he must accommodate everyone’s interests, especially those who helped him win the election."
Both Arya and Ujang said Jokowi's political consolidation efforts could be dangerous as they could encourage the creation of oligarchies.
Arya said the lineup of Jokowi's political structures indicated that the President was not trying to build a good democratic tradition.
"This is dangerous because it can be duplicated by regional leaders for so-called stability reasons. And to the public, it’s not a good example of democracy at work.”
PDI-P executive Puan Maharani, who is also the House of Representatives speaker, said she did not see the lineup as a strategy for Jokowi to stay in the political parties’ good graces as he had not appointed any party executives.
Presidential spokesman Fadjroel Rachman also refuted allegations that Jokowi was consolidating power. “Everyone [in the advisory board] was selected because of their professional backgrounds and abilities as they will be advising the President."
