TIME.CO, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi is silent when asked about the problem government reshuffle which is being talked about. When he met at Manggarai station in south Jakarta, Tempo asked Jokowi three times to confirm this issue.
To the first question, Jokowi only answered with a smile. He also made the same answer during the second question.
“Yes, I heard,” Jokowi said with a smile on Monday, December 26, 2022.
However, when asked about the certainty of a reshuffle, Jokowi just nodded. He also only smiled when asked about his party, the PDIP’s insistence that the performance of two NasDem ministers be evaluated, namely Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya and Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo.
When asked about instructions for replacing the minister, Jokowi nodded.
“Trace-nya, yeah,” Jokowi said.
Jokowi hints at the possibility of a government reshuffle
Last Friday, Jokowi confirmed the possibility of a ministerial reshuffle in Onward Indonesia’s cabinet. The ministerial seat reshuffle issue emerged after polling firm Charta Politika Indonesia said a majority of the public agreed that Jokowi would shuffle his cabinet.
“Perhaps (there is a reshuffle),” Jokowi said briefly when meeting in Bogor Regency, West Java on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022.
Jokowi did not specify the reason for the reshuffle. He also did not mention the exact time the reshuffle would take place.
“Yes, later,” Jokowi said when asked about the certainty of the reshuffle.
The issue of this reshuffle came up after a poll conducted by Charta Politika from 6 to 18 December 2022. The poll results showed that majority of the public agreed that Jokowi would reshuffle Indonesia Onward’s cabinet. Charta Politika executive director Yunarto Wijaya said the number of people calling for a reshuffle had reached 61.8%.
“I think this is the most important thing, so he can be PR for Pak Jokowi if he wants to leave a legacy,” Yunarto said.
Furthermore, Yunarto said the ministers’ performance was one of the reasons Jokowi enjoyed public trust. Furthermore, Yunarto said that a cabinet reshuffle should be considered considering that there are Jokowi ministers intending to run for president, vice-presidential candidates or that their parties have different political positions from Jokowi’s government.
“I think it should be a record, especially in the last two years which will be the most important test for a government or a president who can’t run again,” Yunarto said.
Indeed, a number of Jokowi’s ministers are expected to run for the 2024 presidential election. Prabowo Subianto he will be promoted by his party, Gerindra, as a presidential candidate. This is the case of the coordinating minister for the economy Airlangga Hartarto, who was nominated by his party, Golkar, candidate for president. Meanwhile, BUMN Minister Erick Thohir and Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno are also reportedly hunting for vice presidential candidate seats.
Even so, the pressure for the three to resign from the cabinet has not been as strong as the pressure for the NasDem party to leave the governing coalition. The group formed by Surya Paloh was expelled after making their statement Anies Baswedan as a presidential candidate. There are also rumors that the upcoming cabinet reshuffle could result in the expulsion of two ministers from the NasDem.
