Nyoman Ary Wahyudi and Endri Kurniawati, Jakarta – ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute's political researcher, Made Tony Supriatma, predicts that President Jokowi special staffers were appointed due to their participation in supporting his campaign.

Made also questions the urgency behind this decision, especially considering the "rigid" environment that the special staffers would face within the government. He is pessimistic that they will present any change at all.

"This is nothing more than a cheap pretentious strategy," said Made Tony Supriatma today, Nov. 22.

The researcher also highlights the background of the young special staffers Joko Widodo appointed as his assistants. He argues that the president had not picked them due to professionalism but rather because of their background in establishing startups, "hip" organizations, which he says do not reflect any sense of justice. "They are all from the privileged class," he said.

As previously reported, the president's aim is to have these millennial special staffers simplify the government's bureaucracy system.

Moreover, public policy observer Trubus Rahadiansyah sees Jokowi's purpose is to provide a chance for the younger generation to participate in the government. It is hoped that their participation will spark innovation and new breakthroughs regarding public policies or governance.

However, Trubus shares the same pessimism as Made Tony Supriatma, saying that the millennial staffers will face a feudal bureaucracy culture within the government's ministries and agencies. "They will face problems in coordinating," he said.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1275236/jokowis-millennial-special-staffers-strongly-criticized