September 15, 2025 | 10:07 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo’s cabinet reshuffle does not address the roots of the problem. Our predicament today is the stagnant economy resulting from government policies.
IN a presidential cabinet, ministers are the president’s aides who are recruited from various groups, including political parties. If they are not good at their jobs, ministers are replaced to improve the performance of the government. Political repositioning to strengthen the government is not taboo, but this should not be the main reason.
In the Red and White Cabinet reshuffle last week, Prabowo Subianto seemingly saw political repositioning as an important consideration. The reshuffle was rushed, and a number of changes gave the impression that they were simply a way of controlling state resources.
The replacement of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani with Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa led to market concerns about a loosening of government fiscal discipline. Purbaya’s plan to pour money into banks with excess liquidity could cause inflation to rise. Therefore, replacing Sri Mulyani, who has been in the public spotlight for her policies and statements that angered people, means that Purbaya’s appointment was not the right response.
The dismissal of four other ministers can be interpreted as merely an attempt by the President to replace players. Minister of Cooperatives Budi Arie Setiadi has long been a burden since the online gambling case came to light. Meanwhile, Minister of Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Abdul Kadir Karding has long been questioned for his suboptimal performance.
The plan to fire Abdul Karding gained momentum after the emergence of a photograph of him and Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni playing dominoes with a former illegal logging suspect. The two were already “surplus to requirements” because they did not represent parties supporting the government in the House of Representatives. They were only “volunteers.”
Like them, the dismissal of Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan and Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo was also a part of the consolidation of power. Golkar, Dito’s party, has already gained a replacement seat in cabinet with the appointment of Mukhtarudin to replace Abdul Karding. It does not really matter who is appointed to the position vacated by Dito.
Regarding Budi Gunawan, it is widely known that he is close to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) General Chair Megawati Sukarnoputri. The PDI-P turned down the invitation to join Prabowo’s coalition. Reports that Budi—who appeared to do nothing to quell the demonstrations in August—will be replaced by a person close to Prabowo are increasingly credible.
Cabinet reshuffles under previous presidents—Joko Widodo and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono—were no different: sharing out ministerial jobs for the political parties to help themselves to plunder state resources. And if there were legal consequences, they were on their own. In a number of cases, the law enforcement authorities were used to remove one minister in order to provide an opportunity for a prospective replacement.
As a result, Prabowo’s cabinet reshuffle has not addressed the root of the problem. The President has only quelled the public anger expressed on the streets in August. The huge demonstrations last month were a reminder that the people are deeply disappointed with a number of government policies. Mob riots were triggered by the death of Affan Kurniawan, an online motorbike taxi driver.
Prabowo Subianto seems to be denying what is actually happening. His claim that he has created many jobs is not borne out by the facts on the ground. People are finding it difficult to find work. Meanwhile, the number of people made redundant is increasing as a result of the sluggish business climate. Boasts about surplus rice stocks are being questioned. The price of rice has soared, and stocks of premium rice have vanished from supermarkets.
In other sectors, Prabowo’s claims are also at odds with people’s complaints. But the President has not replaced other problematic ministers, such as the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, or the State-Owned Enterprises Minister, to mention but two.
The economic slowdown has been made worse by Prabowo’s “command economy” approach. He has forced through programs that are not important, but that waste funds. There are many more important programs, which should be prioritized, but that have been pushed aside because funds have been absorbed by his favorite projects. Without an approach that benefits the people, the problems will continue, no matter how many ministers are replaced.
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