Ezra Sihite, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo's chief of staff Luhut Panjaitan has been granted greater authority to coordinate key policy initiatives, under a new Presidential Regulation, or Perpres.
Luhut, a former army general and Golkar Party member who switched allegiances to Joko's camp ahead of last year's election, will become involved in streamlining policy initiatives across ministries and even coordinating the work of coordinating ministers, Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto said on Monday.
Andi explained that Luhut would focus on the implementation of strategic programs and would still be reporting directly to the president.
"The president has five priority programs," Andi said at the State Palace. "Infrastructure, maritime affairs, tourism, energy and food. Well, these five priority programs need to be coordinated across ministries and agencies."
The cabinet secretary said Luhut's new role under Perpres No. 26/2015 could be compared to that of the now-defunct Presidential Delivery Unity for Development, Monitoring and Oversight (UKP4), which was established by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his second term in office.
The UKP4 was tasked with monitoring the government's development programs, dealing with a wide range of issues – from simplifying investment bureaucracy to supervising carbon trading programs. It was also tasked with monitoring and evaluating ministries' performances.
Andi stressed, however, that the chief of staff would not be given "super" powers and that he would be working together closely with the State Secretariat, the Cabinet Secretariat, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) and the State Finance Development Comptroller (BPKP).
The appointment of Luhut as chief of staff late last year was seen by observers at the time as an attempt by the president to gain the upper hand in political power plays being waged within his government.
Joko, a junior member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has since his inauguration in October been seen by many as struggling under the thumb of elite politicians who have closed ranks around him – mainly PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, National Democrat (NasDem) party chairman and media mogul Surya Paloh, and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
Hamdi Muluk, a political psychology professor at the University of Indonesia (UI), said earlier this year about Luhut's appointment that the presidential chief of staff was a very strategic position.
"[Luhuk's appointment] may be one of Jokowi's tactics to balance the power play around him," Hamdi said, referring to Joko by his nickname. "And I think it will surely work. Luhut is quite a powerful [politician], and Jokowi himself said he had known Luhut, had been friends with him for quite some time. They can trust each other, they can work well together."
Hamdi pointed out that Luhut was not only a veteran politician, but he also had strong military links, particularly within the army.
Luhut served as a commander in the Army's Special Forces unit Kopassus, and a commander of its infantry division. He was appointed as the Indonesian ambassador to Singapore by former president B.J. Habibie in 1999, and named industry and trade minister during the late Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid's presidency from 2000 to 2001.
Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jokowis-chief-staff-given-even-powerful-role/