President-elect Prabowo Subianto (sitting, centere left) and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka (sitting, centre right) poing with cabinet minister candidates during a briefing at Prabowo’s residence in Hambalang, Bogor regency, West Java, on Oct 16, 2024. - AFP
JAKARTA: The choice of more than 100 figures potentially selected as Prabowo Subianto’s aides once he enters office has prompted claims that some are being picked merely for having supported him in the election, while further raising questions about whether the enlarged cabinet will make an effective government.
Over the past week, the president-elect has assembled what many view as a probable roster of ministers, deputy ministers and heads of state institutions.
Prabowo summoned them to his residence on Jl. Kertanegara in South Jakarta from Monday to Tuesday, before taking them to orientation sessions at his other house in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java on Wednesday and Thursday.
Among at least 109 invitees were individuals allied with President 'Jokowi' Widodo, including nearly half of the outgoing administration’s ministers, who are potentially set to continue their jobs under Prabowo’s presidency.
Observers believe this is Prabowo’s political reward to Jokowi for the latter’s tacit support in the election, which the incumbent defence minister won alongside the President’s eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
“I think there’s that aspect of Prabowo returning the favour to a lot of parties in forming his cabinet, including to Jokowi,” political analyst Firman Noor of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) said on Thursday (Oct 17).
The President has helped pave the way for Prabowo’s desire to form a big-tent cabinet that may have up to 46 ministries.
On Thursday, Jokowi signed the revision of the 2008 Ministry Law, passed by the House of Representatives in September, which effectively removes the earlier limit of 34 ministries in the government.
The potential cabinet roster also includes politicians from parties under the big-tent alliance of the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) that backed him in the February election.
Electoral rivals are also included, such as National Awakening Party (PKB) chair Muhaimin Iskandar, who ran with Prabowo’s defeated rival Anies Baswedan in the presidential race.
The Islam-based party announced its decision to join Prabowo’s government in August, following the president-elect’s calls for all political parties to unite under his coalition to “build the country together”.
The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), another Islamist party that supported Anies but declared its support for Prabowo after the election, also has a representative in the roster. Yassierli, industrial technology professor at the Bandung Institute of Technology, is not technically a PKS member, but a “professional” representing the party, as claimed by the PKS.
“The ministerial and deputy ministerial candidates can be said to be part of Prabowo’s ‘cake-sharing’ scheme among those who have supported him both during the presidential election and later in the legislature,” political analyst Yoes Kenawas said.
Other notable names include celebrity-cum-businessman Raffi Ahmad; Islamic cleric Miftah Maulana Habiburrahan, known as “Gus Miftah”; and politician Budiman Sudjatmiko; the latter was fired from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) after publicly expressing support for Prabowo.
Small parties supporting Prabowo but without seats in the House have also won their share of rewards, including Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) politicians Giring Ganesha, Isyana Bagoes Oka and secretary-general Raja Juli Antoni, who is currently deputy agrarian and spatial planning minister.
Prabowo reportedly will finalise his cabinet by next Monday, one day after his Oct 20 inauguration as the country’s next president.
The prospect of a huge cabinet that accommodates Prabowo’s allies has raised questions about whether the next government can work effectively without burdening the limited state budget.
More ministers and their deputies in the cabinet will lead to increased bureaucracy, as work on programmes will need more authorisation in order to be carried out, said political analyst Ujang Komarudin of Jakarta-based Al-Azhar University.
“More ministers require more human resources and a bigger budget. It’s very possible that the bureaucratic process will be harder to navigate,” he said.
BRIN’s Firman also raised concerns about the massive budget Prabowo’s administration will need to fund more ministries, let alone his programmes.
The projected spending for ministries and government agencies in the 2025 state budget has been increased from the initial proposal of Rp 976 trillion (US$62 billion) to Rp 1.16 quadrillion. The increase is aimed at supporting Prabowo’s flagship programmes, such as the free nutritious meal scheme.
With new ministerial posts and state agencies expected by next week, the programme's success will lie in the hands of people Prabowo picks for his cabinet.
“There is potential to be seen. The key is how effectively the experts and politicians in Prabowo’s cabinet work,” Firman said.
Ujang concurred, adding that ministers would need to be capable, show integrity and strong leadership skills to solve the bureaucratic problems, the results of which will be seen in the first 100 days in office.
The selection of incumbent ministers, such as Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, may reflect the need for “technocratic capabilities”, according to Yoes, which are needed to implement Prabowo’s campaign platform and navigate the increased bureaucracy. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
