JK: 41 Ministerial Posts Are Too Accommodating and Too Political

Increasing the number of ministries could be very political. This can also be the start of a bad bureaucracy.

KOMPAS/NINA SUSILO

Jusuf Kalla conveyed the most important criteria in choosing a minister. This was conveyed after the Halalbihalal (post-Ramadan gathering) of the Indonesian Ulama Council in Jakarta on Tuesday (7/5/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The plan of the elected President 2024-2029, Prabowo Subianto, to add ministries in his cabinet to 41 is considered overly political. The bloating of the cabinet not only makes the cabinet ineffective, but also has the potential to produce a bad bureaucracy.

Vice President (2004-2009 and 2014-2019) Jusuf Kalla believes that increasing the number of ministries can actually be done. However, Law Number 39 of 2008 concerning State Ministries needs to be revised first. Because, in these regulations, the number of ministries has been specified in advance.

According to Kalla, the number of 34 ministries was decided for the working cabinet filled with both professional figures and politicians. The selected politicians must also work professionally according to their respective fields.

The most important thing in determining the number of ministries is the elected president's work program. "The size of the cabinet depends on the program. If the program is like this, of course it will be adjusted. Thirty-four ministries (according to Law No. 39/2008) have been calculated based on existing programs," said Kalla to reporters after attending the Halalbihalal event of the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) on Tuesday (7/5/2024) in Jakarta.

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Kalla also added that Indonesia once had a Cabinet of 100 Ministers. President Soekarno formed a Cabinet of 100 Ministers in 1965 to respond to economic, social, and security crises. "But that was purely political, providing opportunities for everyone. And in the end, it didn't work either," he said.

It is acknowledged that as a unitary state, the cabinet in Indonesia is larger than in federal countries. In the United States, which is a federal country, for example, there are only 14 ministers.

It depends on the needs. So, don't just look at the number, but what the program is. Then, the organization is arranged accordingly. If 40 are needed, okay. If it's enough with 34-35, that's fine too. Actually, many ministries can be merged.

"It depends on the needs. So, don't look at the number first, but what the program is. Then, the organization is arranged based on the program. If the organization needs 40 people, then please. If it only needs 34-35, it's okay. Actually, (many ministries) can be merged," he said.

Not "cabinet zaken"

If the addition of ministerial seats is aimed at accommodating the increasing number of political parties supporting Prabowo, it is considered that this will no longer be a working cabinet or cabinet zaken. “The cabinet will be very political. "If it's just to accommodate, it means it's more political," he said.

(The size of the cabinet) depends on the program. If the program is like this, it will certainly be adjusted. The thirty-four ministries (in accordance with Law No. 39/2008) have been calculated according to the existing programs.

KOMPAS/NINA SUSILO

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin hopes that the upcoming cabinet will be filled with professional figures. This was conveyed following the Halalbihalal event of the Indonesian Ulama Council in Jakarta on Tuesday (May 7th, 2024).

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin considers that having 34 ministries as it is now is actually already quite ideal. However, if necessary, the possibility of increasing the number of ministers can still be done.

Bad bureaucracy and signposts

Ministries increasingly often depict bad bureaucracy.

Separately, lecturer on public policy at Airlangga University, Surabaya, Gitadi Tegas Supramudyo, assessed that the addition of ministries, especially accompanied by a large number of non-ministerial government institutions, would make bureaucracy worse. "Ministries increasingly often depict bad bureaucracy," he said.

The bureaucracy that is formed will be repressive because it is inefficient and secures the status quo. On the other hand, a bureaucracy that is adaptive, intelligent, detailed and able to adapt to needs will be increasingly far from expectations. "Ideally there is a credible and strong team for ministerial recruitment," said Gitadi.

Head of the Center for Policy Studies of State Administration at the National Administration Institution (LAN), Widhi Novianto, when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday (7/5/2024), stated that the number of ministries and institutions is actually regulated in the State Ministry Law. The basis for forming ministries is also regulated in the same law.

There are guidelines that need to be taken into account by the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka administration in forming the cabinet posture. Besides the Law No. 39/2008 on State Ministries that limits the maximum number of ministries to 34, attention also needs to be paid to designing institutions that are agile, flexible, and responsive.

According to him, there are guidelines that should be considered by the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka government in forming the cabinet's posture. In addition to Law No. 39/2008 concerning the State Ministry, which limits the maximum number of ministries to 34, attention should also be paid to creating an agile, flexible, and responsive institutional design in order to realize a more effective and efficient government.

According to Widhi, LAN is only interested in reminding that there are several things that should be considered in determining future institutions or ministries. There are at least five things. One of them is the state's goals already mentioned in the constitution.

In addition, the concept of determining institutions and ministries must consider the principles of decentralization and regional autonomy. This means that the formation of the cabinet should consider that in the current era of decentralization, the administration of government is no longer centralized in the central government, but has been distributed to regional governments.

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The shift in government governance should also be a focus in organizing the organization. Several things related to the dynamics of existing institutional arrangements should be designed to realize a nimble and flexible cabinet, especially with the increasing development of digital transformation.

Another important factor is that institutional arrangements must be able to respond to strategic challenges in the future, both domestically and internationally. The formation of the cabinet must also be based on the goal of realizing an effective government, so that institutional design does not overlap with one another.

"All of this must be taken into consideration and attention. So, I only convey the signs, which should be taken into consideration when forming a cabinet. "In this way, it is hoped that an effective and efficient government will be realized," said Widhi (Kompas, Tuesday, 7/5/2024).