President Prabowo Subianto (second right) greets cabinet ministers ahead of a plenary meeting at the Bina Graha presidential office in Jakarta on Jan. 22, 2025, where the President expressed his appreciation for the work of his cabinet and aides since he took office in October 2024. - Photo: Antara
JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto has hinted that his first cabinet reshuffle is impending, warning that he will remove any minister who fails to fall in line with his people-centered agenda and commitment to clean governance.
Prabowo marked his first 100 days in office last week with a high job approval rating, but his cabinet has already racked up controversies that analysts say may hinder him from delivering his populist policies.
The Gerindra Party chairman said on Wednesday (Feb 5) that he had “repeatedly given warnings” during the first 100 days of his administration to all government officials to “clean up” their act and support his efforts against corruption.
“Once again, I remind government officials that your loyalty lies solely with the nation and the public. If they impede the implementation of policies that are intended to help people, I will punish,” he said during his speech in an event to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s largest Muslim organisation.
“And I want ministers and heads of state institutions not to hesitate [in toeing the line].”
“My statement was pretty clear [...] that people demand a clean government and that we work only for the people, nothing else. I will get rid of those unwilling to truly work for the people,” said Prabowo when asked by reporters if he was planning to reshuffle his cabinet.
While still struggling to deliver his flagship free meals program for schoolchildren and pregnant women, Prabowo received an overwhelmingly positive approval rating of around 80 percent in his first 100 days in office, largely on the back of his firm leadership and populist policies, according to pollsters Indikator Politik Indonesia and Litbang Kompas.
The figure surpassed that of his ever-popular predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
Despite Prabowo’s high job approval, some in his cabinet have already courted controversies that analysts say may give him enough grounds to reshuffle its members.
The most recent controversy involved Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, who also chairs the Golkar Party, the largest party in the pro-Prabowo coalition, even bigger than Prabowo’s own Gerindra Party, the de facto leader of the coalition.
Bahlil’s decision to limit the sale of the 3-kilogram canisters of subsidised cooking gas caused shortages this week, resulting in long queues of people waiting to buy it, prompting widespread public backlash that eventually forced Prabowo to intervene and order Bahlil to backtrack on the policy.
Bahlil was among the worst performing ministers in a study by the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), along with Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai, Cooperatives Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni and Villages and Regional Development Minister Yandri Susanto.
On Wednesday Pigai faced a barrage of criticism from lawmakers over his underperformance.
Budi Arie, meanwhile, was recently embroiled in an online gambling brouhaha.
The staunch Jokowi loyalist paid a visit to the former president in Surakarta, Central Java, last week, prompting further speculation that he sought support from Jokowi to maintain his position in the cabinet.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, however, said Prabowo has no plans to reshuffle his cabinet anytime soon. “What reshuffle? There’s no reshuffle, not yet,” Prasetyo told reporters on Thursday, as quoted by kompas.com.
He said that cabinet members are still focusing on carrying out their work, which Prabowo will routinely evaluate. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
