Observer: Functionally, Coordinating Minister Luhut Goes Beyond The Main Functions Of Prime Minister

Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan (Photo: DOK ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The role of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan is questioned. The reason is, he was present when President Joko Widodo met with the Association of Indonesian Village Governments (APDESI).

Luhut is also said to have banned APDESI from declaring support for President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in office for three terms. For his actions, Democratic Politicians called Luhut like prime minister.

Responding to that, Esa Unggul University political communication observer Jamiluddin Ritonga said the Democrat politician Benny K Harman's assessment of Luhut like a prime minister was correct.

Because, during his time as Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut, it seemed that he had carried out many tasks that were not his duties and functions (tupoksi). That's because the President has assigned Luhut a lot outside of his duties as Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

"The coordinator of the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout Java and Bali, for example, has been left entirely to Luhut. As a result, he has handled a lot of things related to the COVID-19 pandemic, whose statements sometimes involve health issues," said Jamiluddin in Jakarta, Thursday, March 31.

According to him, Luhut entered almost all fields. Whereas formally he is only Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, whose field of work is clearly regulated by law.

"Because Luhut has entered almost all fields, functionally he is considered to have carried out the main functions of prime minister," he said.

"This is what causes many parties to judge Luhut as carrying out the role of prime minister," he continued.

Jamiluddin assessed that the assignment was certainly not good, because it had an impact on the president's leadership. He said Luhut's big role in President Jokowi's cabinet would have an impact on the decline of the president's prestige in the eyes of the public.

In addition, added Jamiluddin, Luhut's large role can also affect the solidity of the cabinet. The ministers whose main tasks Luhut entered, he said, would find it difficult to accept them. However, the ministers did not show their displeasure in a direct manner.

"So, the size of Luhut's role in Jokowi's cabinet should be reduced. This is needed so that there is only one captain in this country and Jokowi's cabinet remains solid," he concluded.

Previously, Deputy Chairperson of the Democratic Party, Benny K. Harman, highlighted the role of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who, according to him, is like the prime minister.

This was conveyed by Benny while uploading a piece of news about the plan for the All-Indonesian Village Government Association (Apdesi) to declare support for President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in office for three terms through his Twitter account, @BennyHarmanID, Wednesday, March 30.

"I have observed the role of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs in Jokowi's cabinet like the prime minister, so that there is a shift in the state administration system," Benny said in his tweet.

Benny sees the president only as the head of state. According to him, the head of government or prime minister is Luhut.

"The president is only the head of state. The head of government/prime minister is held by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs. If left unchecked, this will become a constitutional convention," he said.

Furthermore, Benny said he witnessed people declaring President Jokowi to serve 3 terms with absurd reasons such as "witnessing a chicken thief entering the yard of the house in broad daylight.

"You know that you violate the constitution, but you still insist," he said.