Appointment Of Thomas Djiwandono As Deputy Minister Of Finance For The Internship Event To Replace Sri Mulyani's Position

Deputy Minister of Finance II Thomas Djiwandono. (Photo: Aris Nurjani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Gerindra Party politician and Prabowo Subianto's nephew, Thomas Djiwandono officially became Deputy Minister of Finance II to accompany Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati in the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet.

Senior Indonesia Strategic and Economic Action Institutional analyst Ronny P Sasmita saw the appointment of Thomas Djiwandono as Deputy Minister of Finance II to facilitate the budget transition process.

"I suspect this addition is also an internship for Thomas towards the end of the Jokowi administration in October," he told VOI, Friday, July 19.

According to Ronny, Thomas was prepared to replace Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

"The option is that Prabowo can take from professionals like Jokowi to take Sri Mulyani, but can still be controlled and can still support Jokowi's policies, or he can also take from parties whose backgrounds meet," he said.

The seat of the Minister of Finance, he said, is a strategic position that needs to be controlled by the elected President Prabowo Subianto.

"So it is very big chance that Thomas will be placed there for an internship before post-October is appointed to replace Sri Mulyani," he said.

Therefore, said Rony, in addition to being able to facilitate the budget transition, it can also be an adaptation to get ready to occupy the position of Minister of Finance.

"So another meaning is that taking Thomas on the chair of the Deputy Minister of Finance at this time is an effort to signal the market about the picture of a figure who will replace Sri Mulyani later," he said.

This assumption arises because actually the matter of the budget transition does not really require additional positions, and has never happened before from the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) administration to Jokowi.

"Meanwhile, Jokowi and Prabowo have a platform that is not too different, especially since Prabowo often boasts that his government is a continuation of the Jokowi regime," he added.