This Observer Says, The Nuance Of Political Accommodation In The Latest Reshuffle Is Quite Real

President Jokowi and Megawati Soekarnoputri (Photo: BPMI Setpres/Muchlis Jr)

JAKARTA - Political observer and Executive Director of Indonesia Presidential Studies (IPS), Nyarwi Ahmad, said that the nuances of political accommodation in President Joko Widodo's latest cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, June 15, were very visible.

According to him, the replacement of two ministers and the appointment of three deputy ministers were more of an effort to accommodate the interests of political parties supporting the government into the ranks of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet. In addition to improving the performance of the Ministry of Trade, which so far has not been successful in overcoming the problem of rising and scarcity of cooking oil prices. "The nuances of political accommodation here are quite real, due to the change of the Minister of Trade from Muhammad Lutfi to Zulkifli Hasan as the general chairman of PAN. Of course there is political accommodation, not to mention the vice ministers from PSI, PBB and PDIP," Nyarwi told VOI, Friday, June 17. .

As is known, President Joko Widodo appointed the General Chair of PAN, Zulkifli Hasan, as the Minister of Trade, the former Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces, Hadi Tjahjanto, as the Minister of ATR/BPN. Then, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), Raja Juli Antoni, as Deputy Minister of ATR, Secretary General of the Crescent Star Party (PBB), Afriansyah Noor, as Deputy Minister of Manpower and PDIP Politician, Jhon Wempi Wetipo, as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs.

Apart from Zulkifli Hasan, said Nyarwi, the three deputy ministers appointed by Jokowi were part of the representation of political parties supporting the government. Although PSI and PBB are parties that do not have legislative members in parliament. "The entry of Afriansyah Noor as part of the United Nations, not only PAN is accommodated but other parties that do not have seats in the DPR or parliament," he said.

However, according to Nyarwi, the change of ATR/BPN minister Sofyan Djalil to Hadi Tahjanto further emphasized that the President was strengthening the ministers who had been close to President Joko Widodo.

"Pak Hadi has been close to President Jokowi for a long time. This means that the President is strengthening the ranks of people who have been close all this time," he explained.

Nyarwi said that the change of ministers was more dominant in terms of accommodation for the entry of political parties into the cabinet ranks. However, the change of the minister of trade was in response to the government's response to criticism from the public on the weak performance of the Ministry of Trade in overcoming the scarcity and rising price of cooking oil. Moreover, there were cases of internal corruption at the Ministry of Trade regarding permits to issue CPO exports. “From a performance perspective, it can be said that there are various criticisms of the Trade Minister's failure to handle cooking oil. But the position of the Minister of Trade being replaced from among politicians does not necessarily guarantee effectiveness. Although there is a positive side, political support can be used in managing trade, but political interests in the trade ministry are getting stronger," he explained.

Meanwhile, the appointment of Hadi Tjahjanto at the Ministry of ATR/BPN, continued Nyarwi, has the task of accelerating agrarian reform which has always been accompanied by land conflicts. In fact, land and spatial planning, according to him, are very important in managing natural resources in the midst of the threat of a food crisis that is hitting the world today. "This means that Pak Hadi's role from an Air Force military background has another perspective in strengthening food security and Indonesia's geopolitical position in the midst of the war crisis between Russia and Ukraine and the strengthening of China's expansion in border conflicts in the South China Sea," said Nyarwi Ahmad.