Jokowi New Cabinet

Posted on Oct 26, 2014

Indonesian president orders new cabinet to get to work.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo held his first cabinet meeting on Monday and gave his top four ministers until the end of the week to identify policy changes that would remove growth bottlenecks.

Widodo was elected president in July, promising to provide a clean and competent administration that endeared him to voters tired of shoddy infrastructure, corruption and poverty in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

“From the first day, we start working,” Widodo said in introductory remarks to the cabinet that were televised live. “There is no need to wait for anything anymore.”

Widodo, who was inaugurated last week, inducted 34 people into his cabinet on Monday, a mix of technocrats and political appointees from his coalition. The senior cabinet members are the four coordinating ministers for economics, internal affairs, maritime affairs and human development.

Markets did not react much to the new cabinet picks, with stocks closing down 0.96 percent on Monday.

Indonesia faces strong economic headwinds from fiscal and current account deficits, ballooning fuel subsidy costs, and the slowest GDP growth in five years.

Chief Economics Minister Sofyan Djalil said the president wanted to know how the government could make “quicker decisions on delayed” projects.

A lack of roads, ports, electricity and other basic services, along with corrupt bureaucracies, is beginning to disenchant foreign investors, essential for the resource-based economy to grow.

“We need to make it easier (for businesses) to get licences,” Djalil told reporters after the cabinet meeting. “Right now, it’s harder to get a licence than to build a power plant.”

Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said investment needed to grow more and faster to be able to meet the president’s annual economic growth target of 7 percent, a level he did not expect until at least 2016.

“The president stressed that a lot of people want to invest in Indonesia. But if the government can’t help with land acquisitions and simplifying the licensing scheme, no one will enter Indonesia,” Brodjonegoro told reporters.

Foreign investors have raised particular concerns over Indonesia’s energy and gas sector, which has been rocked by corruption scandals that have implicated top government officials, including former energy minister Jero Wacik.

“I ask the media to help this ministry rebuild public trust,” new Energy Minister Sudirman Said told reporters at his first news conference.

“If (the energy industry) is not addressed seriously, we will enter a period of crisis.”

Source: Reuters /Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo, Fergus Jensen, Wilda Asmarini,
and The Jakarta Bureau: Writing by Randy Fabi; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

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Jokowi’s Cabinet announced.

After taking the oath of office on Oct. 20, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced on Sunday his Cabinet lineup after delaying the announcement on Wednesday night, which prompted speculation that he was wrangling with leaders of political parties in his coalition who were insisting on nominating problematic candidates.

Jokowi’s Working Cabinet 2014-2019

1.Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno (former Navy chief of staff 2008-2009/NasDem Party top executive)

2.Coordinating Economic Minister Sofyan Djalil (former state-owned enterprises minister)

3.Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Indroyono Susilo (an executive with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

4.Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani (legislator/PDI-P top executive)

5.Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo (legislator/PDI-P top executive)

6.Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi (Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands)

7.Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu (former Army chief of staff 2002-2004)

8.Law and Human Rights Minister Yasona H. Laoly (legislator/PDI-P politician)

9.Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro (deputy finance minister)

10.Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said (PT Pindad president/former PT Pertamina executive)

11.Industry Minister Saleh Husin (Hanura Party politician)

12.Trade Minister Rahmat Gobel (businessman)

13.Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya (NasDem politician/former civil servant)

14.Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman (Hasanuddin University lecturer)

15.Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Ferry Musyidan Baldan (NasDem Party politician)

16.Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan (PT Kereta Api Indonesia president)

17.Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti (owner of airline operator Susi Air)

18.Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri (PKB politician)

19.Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono (Public Works Ministry top official)

20.Health Minister Nila Moeloek (Indonesian representatives for MDGs)

21.Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Anies Baswedan (Paramadina University rector).

22.Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indra Parawansa (former women’s empowerment minister).

23.Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin (current religious affairs minister)

24.Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara (PT Indosat commissioner, former top executives for PT Semen Indonesia, PT PLN, PT XL Axiata)

25.State Secretary Pratikno (Gadjah Mada University rector)

26.Research and Technology and Higher Education Minister M. Nasir (Diponegoro University rector)

27.Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Susana Yembise (Cendrawasih University lecturer)

28.Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi (Hanura Party politician)

29.Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Marwan Jafar (PKB politician)

30.National Development Planning Minister/National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) chief Andrinof Chaniago (University of Indonesia lecturer)

31.State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno (former trade minister 2001-2004/former PT Astra International president)

32.Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister AAGN Puspayoga (PDI-P politician)

33.Tourism Minister Arief Yahya (PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia president director)

34.Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi (PKB politician)

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Rapat Perdana Kabinet Jokowi