August 20, 2024
JAKARTA – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has brought more loyalists into his cabinet and has replaced ministers he perceives as disloyal, a move analysts say aims to smooth the transition to the administration of president-elect Prabowo Subianto.
Two months before leaving office, Jokowi removed Yasonna Laoly of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) from his position as law and human rights minister on Monday and replaced him with Supratman Andi Agtas of Prabowo’s own Gerindra Party. Supratman previously served as chair of the House of Representatives Legislation Body (Baleg).
The PDI-P had been Jokowi’s political vehicle for two decades, but he parted ways with the party after tacitly endorsing his rival-turned-ally Prabowo as his successor and enabling his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to run as Prabowo’s running mate against PDI-P candidate Ganjar Pranowo in February’s presidential election.
Another minister with ties to the PDI-P, Arifin Tasrif, was removed from his post as energy and mineral resources minister. He has been replaced by Bahlil Lahadalia, previously the investment minister. Unlike Yasonna, Arifin is not a member of the PDI-P but is connected to the party.
Bahlil is widely seen as a Jokowi loyalist, and he assisted in Prabowo’s presidential campaign earlier this year. In place of Bahlil, Jokowi installed Prabowo’s campaign manager, Rosan Roeslani, as the new investment minister.
Read also: Jokowi reshuffles cabinet weeks before leaving office
Also on Monday, the President appointed Angga Raka Prabowo, a Gerindra politician and a close associate of Prabowo, as the new deputy communications and information minister, adding a second deputy ministerial post to the communications ministry.
Jokowi also installed Hasan Nasbi as the head of the presidential communications office, which Jokowi established last week to improve public campaigns on government programs. Hasan was a spokesperson for Prabowo’s campaign team.
The reshuffle came following reports that the President was unhappy about the PDI-P’s decision in July to extend the terms of the current members of its central executive board to 2025 and to bring in new members who had openly criticized Jokowi. A close associate of the President reportedly reprimanded Yasonna for failing to inform Jokowi of the PDI-P’s new executive lineup.
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PDI-P executive Djarot Saiful Hidayat criticized Yasonna’s dismissal, saying the shake-up was “Jokowi’s attempt to consolidate his power so that he gains control through his people in the incoming government”.
Smoother transition
Analysts saw the reshuffle as another attempt by Jokowi to achieve a smoother transition to the incoming administration after having installed two members of Prabowo’s inner circle as deputy ministers of finance and agriculture last month.
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“That [intention] is apparent from the loyalists of Jokowi and Prabowo who were picked for the reshuffle,” analyst Ujang Komarudin said on Monday.
Other new appointments on Monday include Taruna Ikrar as the head of the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) and Dadan Hindayana as the head of the National Nutrition Agency, another newly established agency to help execute Prabowo’s food programs.
But contrary to speculation, Jokowi did not replace Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar of the NasDem Party, which political analyst Yoes Kenawas said was a “good balancing act” from Jokowi.
Last week, NasDem revoked its support for the reelection bid of former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and joined the pro-Prabowo parties in the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) instead. The popular former governor is widely seen as a staunch critic of Jokowi and Prabowo.
“The relationship between NasDem and Jokowi has gotten better since the party showed its loyalty to the KIM, so no use in disrupting his coalition further by removing Siti,” Yoes said.
Jokowi has also retained a handful of other PDI-P ministers in his outgoing cabinet, such as Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung.
The PDI-P and NasDem are both part of Jokowi’s coalition government but declined to back his preferred successor Prabowo in the February election.
Golkar takeover?
Analysts suspect Jokowi’s reported interest in taking over the Golkar Party could have been another motive behind Yasonna’s dismissal.
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Bahlil, who is eyeing the chairmanship of Golkar after the abrupt resignation of Airlangga Hartarto, is speculated to be clearing a path for Jokowi to join Golkar as head of its advisory board, which Jokowi has neither confirmed nor denied.
“If Jokowi did seek that position, Golkar’s own bylaws would need to be changed, and he also needs someone on his side to sign a ministerial decree [recognizing his membership],” Yoes said.
The law minister’s position is considered strategic as it has the authority to validate a political party’s leadership and structure.
Presidential special staff coordinator Ari Dwipayana has denied that the reshuffle was anything other than a necessary step to ensure that the change of administration “goes well, smoothly and effectively”.