IO, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo stated that he would appoint young ministers and compose his cabinet with 45% party politicians and 55% professionals. Furthermore, the new Attorney General will not be a representative of a political party. Jokowi stated that historically, it is possible for the Attorney General to come from outside the Attorney General’s Office, yet he has not confirmed whether the new Attorney would come from within the Office either.
In response to Jokowi’s statement, Centre for Strategic of International Studies (CSIS) Political Observer J. Kristiadi stated that youth itself is insufficient – other important requirements must also be satisfied. “I naturally see that most Millennials are much smarter than me. However, we need to measure all aspects. Millennials have managerial skills, they know their functions, their work, what skills and knowledge to have,” he said. “However, young ministerial candidates must also have moral competence and a mature attitude. Are those primary requirements met or not? I certainly won’t approve the attitude of “as long as it’s a Millennial”.”
Meanwhile, Indonesia Corruption Watch (“ICW”) Coordinator of the Corruption and Politics Division, Donal Fariz, has requested President Jokowi to nominate qualified personnel as Candidate Ministers in the 2019-2024 Cabinet based on three criteria: “First, capacity. The appointed ministers and heads of the State’s agencies must have qualified capacity that allows them to run technocratic functions. Second, integrity. The backgrounds of Candidate Ministers should be checked thoroughly. Candidates should have no bad track record, especially legal problems relating to corruption. Third, loyalty. Loyalty, specifically loyalty to the President instead of the political party, is important to ensure that the Cabinet work with full commitment in the next five years. After all, it is quite possible that a minister would perform political maneuvering as 2024 comes nearer,” he said in the discussion titled “The Nomination of Political Seats After the Elections: Reviewing the Problems of Party Concession, Presidential System, and Public Morality” at ICW’s Office in South Jakarta last week.
Meanwhile, responding to the President’s statement that he would not appoint an Attorney General from a political party, Donal requested that the Coordinating Minister of Politics, Justice, and Defense and the Minister of Justice and Human Rights should likewise have no political background as a party member. As we all know, the current Coordinating Minister of Politics, Justice, and Defense Wiranto is also the Chairman of (Hati Nurani Rakyat – “Hanura”)’s Advisory Council, while the current Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yasona Laoly is the Chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan – “PDIP”)’s Justice, Human Right, and Legislation Division.
“Referring to Mr. Jokowi’s intent of appointing a non-political party Attorney General, ICW does hope that the Coordinating Minister of Politics, Justice, and Defense and the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, who are involved in law enforcement and politics, should come from the same group,” Donal said. After all, the fields of these two ministers are vulnerable to insidious political interest. In the past five years, law enforcement is biased and full of political interventions. ICW is holding onto Jokowi’s promise that he is no longer held hostage by political interests. They would like to believe that Jokowi can now establish his Cabinet more freely, as he has paid off his political debts in the five years of his first term rule. (Dan)