Jokowi Finally Reshuffle Ministers, Observers: We'll Just Wait For Its Effectiveness

President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Photo: Setkab)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has reshuffled the ministers in the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet. For the new nomenclature, namely the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Mendikbudristek) is filled with Nadiem Makarim, and the Minister of Investment is held by Bahlil Lahadalia.

President Jokowi also appointed Laksana Tri Handoko as Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) replacing Bambang Brodjonegoro.

Responding to this, the Executive Director of Indonesia Political Review (IPR), Ujang Komarudin, said that there was actually nothing special about this reshuffle.

This is because the appointment of these names is only a form of filling in the new nomenclature, namely the merging of the Ministry of Education and Culture with the Ministry of Research and Technology (Kemenristek). Likewise with the Ministry of Investment which only changed the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).

"There is nothing strange in this reshuffle. The merger of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Research and Technology is just a dismantling. Previously, Jokowi's first period was separated and the second period was reunited," said Ujang when contacted by VOI, Wednesday, April 28.

However, he considered this not quite right. This is because he considered that the research and technology sector should be a ministry itself.

"The goal is to have a research culture and research budget for the benefit of research and technology to be more advanced," he said.

"Our research budget is small. So, it should be added and managed by a separate ministry," he added.

Meanwhile, regarding the effectiveness of this reshuffle, especially with the new nomenclature, Ujang was reluctant to answer further. He asked the public to wait for the performance of Bahlil and Nadiem Makarim at the ministry.

"Regarding the effectiveness, we are just waiting for the performance of both of them in the future," he said.

It's just that, he assessed, a fusion like what is happening in the current cabinet could actually have a negative impact. One of them, affects the bureaucracy.

"The bureaucracy can be messy because of the consequences of fusion. This could make many bureaucrats who lose their positions and their performance become lazy," he concluded.