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While Jokowi’s critics question his cabinet choices, the markets have responded positively
- The Indonesian president’s decision to include his arch rival Prabowo has not impressed everyone but it shows he wants stability to push forward with his development goals
- He’s retained old hands in key roles but has also introduced new faces, notably to oversee education, tourism and state-owned enterprises
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The composition of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s new cabinet indicates his aim to consolidate his power base by having a mix of politicians and professionals, most notably including his former arch rival Prabowo Subianto. Prabowo lost the bitterly-fought April election to Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi.
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For Jokowi, ensuring political stability through national reconciliation is vital. He has a critical development agenda to implement and wants to avoid unrest – such as the recent protests waged by thousands of students in opposition to legal amendments that they contend would cripple the country’s anti-corruption agency.
As Jokowi said during his inauguration last Sunday, his new cabinet of 34 ministers plus four minister-level officials will work with him to “move towards an advanced Indonesia”, focusing on five development priorities, including improving human resources and promoting higher value-added economic activities. These efforts are all aimed at pushing Indonesia into high-income status, with a target annual income per capita of US$22,000 by 2045, from the current US$3,900.
Underperformers will face the sack, he said. In his first five-year term, Jokowi reshuffled his cabinet four times.
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Not everyone agrees with the composition of the new cabinet line-up announced on Wednesday.
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