The Newly Inaugurated Minister Must Do The Right Work Because It Affects President Jokowi's Image

The observer of constitutional law at the University of Jember, Prof. Bayu Dwi Anggono/Photo: Antara

JEMBER - An observer of constitutional law at the University of Jember, Prof. Bayu Dwi Anggono said that the change of ministers in a cabinet reshuffle would affect the image of President Joko Widodo, who has two years remaining in his reign.

"The president certainly has complete considerations in appointing someone to be a minister and Article 17 paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution states that each minister is in charge of certain affairs in the government", he said in Jember, East Java, Thursday, June 16.

According to him, a minister who is appointed by the president of course on the consideration of the figure is considered capable of handling the field in question, so the president's considerations will have consequences for public trust in the future of the president.

"If the president's choice turns out to be able to carry out his duties as a minister well, it will increase public satisfaction with the government, but also vice versa if he can't work well then the risk is also with the president", he said.

The Dean of the Faculty of Law, Unej considered that cabinet reshuffles are commonplace in a presidential system where the president as the sole chief executive has absolute authority.

"The authority is in appointing and dismissing ministers as assistants in running the government that is responsible to him", he said.

Seeing that the remaining effective administration of President Joko Widodo is less than 2 years away, he continued, the choice to carry out a minor reshuffle, which is only to reshuffle 2 ministries, shows that the President considers that most of his ministers, namely 32 ministers, are still worthy of being trusted to carry out their duties.

"Of course, the president's choice to only reshuffle 2 ministers is the president's absolute choice, which will have consequences for the president regarding the course of the government for the next 2 years", said the professor at the University of Jember.

Bayu predicts that for the next 2 years there will be no reshuffle due to performance reasons, except for certain reasons, for example, the minister resigns or is permanently absent.

"So the faces of the two new ministers and 32 existing ministers are most likely the cabinet that will run the government until President Jokowi's term expires in 2024", he said.