Increasing the Number of Ministers is Still Just a Discussion

The proposal to increase the number of ministries in the Prabowo-Gibran cabinet is just a discourse and has not been seriously discussed at KIM.

ANTARA/WAHYU PUTRO

President Joko Widodo and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin introduced the lineup of Indonesia Maju Cabinet ministers at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday (23/10/2019). Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto was seen waving his hand.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Several political parties supporting Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the elected president and vice president candidates, claimed that the addition of ministers is purely a mere suggestion. It has never been thoroughly discussed within the coalition. Although not serious yet, political parties remain open as long as it is in line with the needs, plans, and government programs.

The plan to increase the number of ministries is developing in line with Prabowo's maneuvers to enlarge his coalition of supporters in the government. The Advanced Indonesia Coalition (KIM), which supports Prabowo-Gibran, has nine political parties as members. Of that number, four of them, namely the Gerindra Party, Golkar Party, National Mandate Party (PAN), and Democrat Party, have qualified for parliament and are expected to control around 48 percent of the 580 DPR seats.

Chairman of the PAN Advisory Council, Dradjad Wibowo, stated that the increase in the number of ministries is only a discourse. The addition of ministries needs a revision of Law Number 39 of 2008 concerning State Ministries and ensuring the need for addition.

"As far as I know, it's just a thin discourse. Even if it is implemented, the State Ministry's Law needs to be revised and the significance of the need for additional provisions needs to be ensured," said Drajad when contacted from Jakarta on Tuesday (May 7, 2024).

Also read: Reorganizing State Ministries, Cabinet Proposed to Fill with 41 Ministers

The same sentiment was also expressed by the Head of the Democratic Party's Strategic Communication Agency, Herzaky Mahendra Putra. According to him, coalition member parties have not further discussed the proposed addition of a ministry.

Also read: AHY: Democrats Ready to Succeed Prabowo-Gibran Program

The latest discussion among KIM inter-party is about the implementation of programs and plans that were touted during the campaign period. Various programs are currently being assessed for compatibility with the agencies that will implement them.

As far as I know, it's just a thin discourse. Even if it is implemented, it requires amendments to the Ministry of State Law and must ensure the significance of the need for such additions.

"We haven't reached the point where it is better or the current ministry can't accommodate it. It hasn't happened yet. However, we can look ahead. The most important thing is that everything is adjusted to its goal," said Herzaky.

KOMPAS/HIDAYAT SALAM

Deputy Chairman of Commission III DPR from the Gerindra Fraction Habiburokhman when met at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday (4/4/2024).

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairperson of the Gerindra Party, Habiburokhman, did not deny that there was talk of increasing the number of ministries during the 2024-2029 government period. The current government has 34 ministries, while presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, who is currently drafting a cabinet, is reportedly designing a cabinet structure consisting of 41 ministries.

Also read: Gerindra Supports Increasing the Number of Ministries in the Prabowo-Gibran Cabinet

According to Habiburokhman, having more ministries is actually beneficial for the government and public services. This is because Indonesia is a large country with significant targets and challenges to achieve, thus requiring the involvement of many parties to ensure that programs are implemented effectively.

"So, it is natural that we need to gather a lot of people (to) gather in government so that it becomes big," he said (Kompas.id, 6/5/2024).

DOKUMENTASI KEMENTERIAN PERTAHANAN RI

Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto received a visit from the Minister of Defense of Malaysia, His Excellency Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, in Jakarta on Tuesday (30/4/2024).

The issue of air pollution is not new. The condition of the community threatened by air pollution has been ongoing for a long time. There is also no shortage of research evidence indicating the threats of air pollution's impacts. However, in reality, this has yet to push for significant efforts in controlling air pollution. As a result, residents are increasingly suffering in the midst of air pollution. At the national working meeting of the Association of Constitutional Law and State Administrative Law (APHTN-HAN) in Makassar, South Sulawesi last week, recommendations were made to add the number of ministries for the next government. Seven findings and recommendations were produced from the review of the constitutional presidential cabinet arrangement by the review team.

Also read: Legal Experts Prepare Recommendations for Structuring the Presidential Cabinet

APHTN-HAN also recommends proportional representation of the number of coordinating ministries, the implementation of a cabinet of experts, and the presence of deputy ministers. Other recommendations include the organization of institutions within the Presidential Palace environment and the appointment of a nonpartisan Attorney General.