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Jokowi finalizes new cabinet ahead of second term

Source
Jakarta Globe - August 13, 2019

Jakarta (Beritasatu) – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo confirmed on Wednesday that he had finalized his cabinet selection and that he would announce the ministers' names soon after the start of his second term in October.

He said there would be 34 ministries in the new cabinet – the same as now – but that the names of two would change.

"Though the number of ministries will remain the same, the names of two ministries will change: There will be a Ministry of Investment, which is needed to focus on attracting foreign investment, and a Ministry of Industry and International Trade," Jokowi said.

He added that 55 percent of the members of his upcoming cabinet would be professionals and the remainder from political parties.

Jokowi also confirmed that one of his new ministers would be between the ages of 25 and 30 and another between 30 and 40, both from professional backgrounds.

He said it had not been easy to select a new cabinet, as its composition must be representative in terms of gender, religion and political affiliation, and that it should also include professionals and members of civil society.

Jokowi said some of his current ministers would be retained, despite not being overly popular, because he needed people with the right credentials, who could also be firm.

He also gave assurances that the new attorney general would not have any political affiliations. The incumbent, Muhammad Prasetyo, was a National Democratic Party (NasDem) executive before his appointment as attorney general.

The president further said there would not be any members of the opposition coalition, led by former rival Prabowo Subianto, in the new cabinet.

"I will announce [the cabinet] immediately [after my inauguration], because the market and the public have been waiting," he said.

Foreign Investment

Jokowi said the creation of an investment ministry was necessary, because the country must improve its ability to attract foreign investment.

He said Indonesia's complicated bureaucracy remains a massive obstacle to foreign investors. He expects the new cabinet to remove many of the existing obstacles so the country can become as efficient as some Middle Eastern countries, where the entire investment process can be completed within 30 minutes.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/context/jokowi-finalizes-new-cabinet-ahead-of-second-term

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