Jakarta – Newly installed President Prabowo Subianto has announced his cabinet comprising 109 members. It is the largest Indonesia has seen in decades, though not unprecedented.
The country has seen at least one that was much larger: Sukarno's 132-strong Dwikora cabinet in 1966, which lasted only a month amid political turmoil.
The size of Prabowo's Red and White Cabinet has nonetheless raised eyebrows, drawing comparisons to past red tape and eliciting concern over its efficiency and sustainability.
Prabowo's inner circle has been quick to downplay these concerns, arguing that the expanded cabinet reflects the country's vastness and diverse needs.
According to a presidential spokesperson, carving up large ministries into smaller, more specialized units allows for more focused, effective governance.
While the government might also claim that assigning more people to handle fewer tasks would ensure that each minister has a more manageable workload, many remain skeptical about whether a larger cabinet truly translates to better governance.
This is especially so, given the added costs and greater potential for bureaucratic gridlock.
It cannot be ignored that Prabowo's big-tent government is a reflection of the massive political alliance that helped catapult him to power and secure an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives.
This political capital is vital, as it allows the retired army general to push his legislative agenda forward with minimal resistance.
The strength of this alliance is reminiscent of the second term of Prabowo's predecessor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, whose broad coalition helped ensure the continuity of his programs.
But the sheer size of the new cabinet has also raised speculation that the expansion move is likely an attempt to distribute political favors, with appointments driven more by a need to satisfy parties in the coalition rather than the competencies required of the job.
With ministers hailing from diverse political and professional backgrounds, the cabinet is as much a political balancing act as it is a functional governing body.
In his first plenary cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Prabowo reminded his ministers of the importance of staying true to his programs.
While loyalty is necessary for any administration to function smoothly, managing such a large and diverse cabinet will undoubtedly meet with pitfalls. Conflicts of interest, internal rivalries and bureaucratic hurdles are all foreseeable challenges.
Prabowo's reminder on Wednesday may well be the first of many in the coming years as he seeks to maintain control over this unwieldy body.
Despite these concerns, we are willing to temporarily suspend our disbelief – on the condition that Prabowo commits to reviewing his cabinet's performance regularly.
The Gerindra Party chairman has set highly ambitious targets, including 8 percent economic growth and eliminating absolute poverty. While these are laudable goals, they are also extraordinarily difficult to achieve, especially with such a large and potentially fragmented government.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the only major party still not part of his coalition, has called for the cabinet's performance to be reviewed in the next six to 12 months.
Incidentally, this time frame aligns with the party's next internal meeting, where it could decide its final stance on joining the government, but it also offers a more realistic evaluation period compared to the traditional "first 100 days" approach.
Quick wins are unlikely given the cabinet's size and complexity, and a longer period will provide a better sense of whether it can meet the President's ambitious goals.
We strongly support regular, transparent evaluations of the new government's performance.
The success of the Prabowo administration will depend on not only his ministers' loyalty but also their ability to deliver meaningful results.
We remain hopeful that Prabowo will have the wisdom to make tough decisions, including removing underperforming ministers, regardless of their political affiliations.
Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2024/10/24/a-case-for-prudence.htm