The President Supports Luhut's Proposal that Prabowo-Gibran Not Bring "Toxic People" to the Cabinet

Regarding additional ministers, the President "no comment". Regarding Luhut's statement that "a toxic person" entered the cabinet, what did the President say?

KOMPAS/MAWAR KUSUMA WULAN

President Joko Widodo gave a press statement after inaugurating Indonesia Digital Test House (IDTH) at the Telecommunications Device Testing Center in Depok, West Java, on Tuesday (7/5/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Regarding the idea of ​​establishing 41 ministries and institutions which was mentioned as a proposal submitted by Prabowo Subianto as president-elect, President Joko Widodo emphasized that he would not provide input. However, President Jokowi supports Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan's proposal that the elected president and vice president, Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka, not elect toxic people > as a member of his future cabinet.

President Jokowi has stated that all matters related to the formation of the upcoming cabinet, including proposals for an increase in the number of ministries, are the right of the elected President Prabowo Subianto.

”The future cabinet was askedto the president-elect. Ask the president-elect. "Ask the president-elect," said President Jokowi when giving a press statement after the inauguration of the Indonesia Digital Test House (IDTH) at the Telecommunications Equipment Testing Center, Depok, West Java, Tuesday (7/5/2024).

Even President Jokowi emphasized that there was no input from him regarding the plan to add the number of ministries. "Oh, there isn't any (input)," said President Jokowi.

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

President Jokowi also laughed when asked for his response regarding the statement by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who advised the elected president for 2024-2029, Prabowo Subianto, not to bring toxic people into his cabinet. ”That's right. "It's true, it's true," said President Jokowi while laughing.

The future cabinet will be asked to the president-elect.

KOMPAS/MAWAR KUSUMA WULAN

President Joko Widodo gave a press statement after inaugurating Indonesia Digital Test House (IDTH) at the Telecommunications Device Testing Center in Depok, West Java, on Tuesday (7/5/2024).

However, President Jokowi did not provide a deeper answer when asked about the meaning behind the statement that Luhut's statement was correct. "Yes, ask Pak Luhut," he said.

In that occasion, the President also declined to answer questions about the political party that will be his vehicle after he is no longer President. "Will dock at the port," he said.

There is no urgency for additions

Asked for his thoughts on the potential addition of ministries, Herdiansyah Hamzah, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at Mulawarman University in Samarinda, stated that he sees no urgency in adding more ministries. According to him, there is no adequate argument in favor of such a proposal.

Logically, for the coalition to remain solid, the share of the cake must be evenly distributed. And the allocation posts are shuffled from the number of ministries.

"This is purely about the politics of sharing power, as a consequence of Prabowo's fat coalition of supporters. Logically, for the coalition to remain solid, the share of the cake must be evenly distributed. "And the allocation posts are shuffled based on the number of ministries," he said.

Herdiansyah gave an example, the plan additional ministries for taxation and food, which Prabowo also mentioned in the presidential candidate debate, was considered ineffective. The ministry of taxation or food is actually an integral part of the ministry of finance and ministry of agriculture.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

The atmosphere before President Joko Widodo arrived to lead a limited meeting on handling refugees from the eruption of Mount Ruang, at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, on Friday (3/5/2024).

No "ratio legis"

"So, there is no ratio legis or legal thinking based on common sense, which is the reason or aim of the birth of legal regulations behind the proposal to increase the number of ministries, other than the matter of dividing the cake among the coalition," he said.

However, he believes that the effort to increase the number of ministries from 34 to 41 is a serious plan. This is reflected, among other things, by the emergence of support from several academics. Previously, there was a proposal from the Association of Constitutional Law-Administrative Law Lecturers (APHTN-HAN) that the ideal number of ministries should be 41.

Also read: Prabowo-Gibran, Between the Ideal Cabinet and Cattle Trade Politics

The addition of these ministries is likely to be done through two channels, namely through amendments to the State Ministry Law or through the Constitutional Court. Currently, the law has limited the maximum number of ministries to 34.

"Well, it's nothing new. "Using the MK mouthpiece as a shortcut to legitimizing power (politicization of judiciary) has often been done," said Herdiansyah.