With 2 months left in office, Indonesian President Jokowi reshuffles his cabinet

Outgoing Indonesian leader Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reshuffled his cabinet on Monday to appoint allies of his successor to key ministries, as President-elect Prabowo Subianto seeks to consolidate support before taking office in October. 

The move involved replacing three ministers, appointing a new deputy minister and making changes at two major agencies, in addition to staffing two new ones.

“The appointment of ministers, deputy ministers, and agency heads is essential to ensure a smooth, seamless and effective government transition,” said Ari Dwipayana, the head of the Special Presidential Staff.

Key ministerial changes:

• Supratman Andi Agtas replaces Yasonna Laoly, as minister of law and human rights

• Bahlil Lahadalia replaces Arifin Tasrif as minister of energy and mineral resources
• Rosan Roeslani replaces Bahlil Lahadalia as minister of investment

One of the most significant changes was the removal of Yasonna Laoly, a senior figure in the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Yasonna was replaced as minister of law and human rights by Supratman Andi Agtas, a member of the Gerindra party.

The PDI-P had been Jokowi’s party and main backer until their relationship soured because of the president’s tacit endorsement of Prabowo instead of the party’s candidate in the Feb. 14 election. Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, will be the vice president under Prabowo.

Prabowo, the defense minister in Jokowi’s second administration, is a former general in the Indonesian army’s special forces (Kopassus) accused of overseeing atrocities and rights abuses during his military career. He is also the former son-in-law of Suharto, the late Indonesian dictator. 

With Yasonna’s removal, PDI-P now has five ministers remaining in Jokowi’s cabinet.

Another major change was the replacement of Arifin Tasrif as minister of energy and mineral resources. Tasrif, an independent professional whose ministerial appointment was proposed by PDI-P, was replaced by Bahlil Lahadalia, a close ally of both Prabowo and Jokowi.

Rosan Roeslani, a businessman and former campaign manager for Prabowo, was appointed as investment minister to replace Bahlil.

Discussing his new role, Bahlil said he was committed to optimizing natural resource production to increase state revenue and create job opportunities.

“Drawing from my experience as a former entrepreneur, I can assess areas for potential improvement,” he said.

After his swearing-in on Monday at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Rosan expressed confidence in his ability during the remaining two months of his term, saying he had a strong relationship with Bahlil.

“We have excellent communication,” Rosan said, noting that he had received guidance from Prabowo before assuming the role.

Rosan did not offer specific information when he asked about initiatives to boost investment in Nusantara, the nation’s future capital, which is now under construction on Borneo island but facing difficulties in attracting investors.

“I need to first confer with the former minister to guarantee that our measures are well-coordinated and structured,” he said.

In other moves, Jokowi replaced the head of the National Food Agency, Arief Prasetyo Adi, with Rachmat Pambudy from Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, and appointed Taruna Ikrar as the new head of the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM).

Jokowi also inaugurated leaders for two new agencies: Dadan Hindayana as head of the National Nutrition Agency and Hasan Nasbi as head of the Presidential Communications Office.

Hasan, founder of the Cyrus Network polling agency, served as the spokesman for Prabowo’s campaign team in the 2024 election.

Political consolidation

Analysts said the reshuffle was a strategic move ahead of the Nov. 27 elections for mayors, regents and governors across the country as parties are preparing for internal leadership changes during a critical period for shaping political alliances.

Agung Baskoro, executive director of Trias Politika Strategis, a South Jakarta think-tank, said that, in the event of disputes, the minister of law and human rights had the power to validate political party leaders favored by the president.

“If the leadership is not favorable, the minister of law and human rights can withhold legal recognition until someone close to those in power is elected,” Agung told BenarNews.

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The leadership transitions are set to take place across several major parties. Golkar, one of Indonesia’s largest political parties, is scheduled to elect a new chairperson later this month after Airlangga Hartarto, the country’s top economic minister, resigned.

Bahlil, the new energy minister, is seen as a strong contender.

Meanwhile, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) will hold their respective leadership elections later in the month.

“Golkar is currently facing turbulence and PKB may also encounter similar challenges. The [law] minister’s role is essential in ensuring smooth leadership changes,” Dedi Kurnia Syah, executive director of Indonesia Political Opinion, told BenarNews.

Chico Hakim, a PDI-P spokesman, questioned the timing of the reshuffle, saying that with only two months left in Jokowi’s term, it would be difficult for the new ministers to be effective.

“This reshuffle has strong political undertones,” Chico told BenarNews.

Emrus Sihombing, a political communication lecturer at Universitas Pelita Harapan, said the move to remove Yasonna strengthened the impression that Jokowi was no longer aligned with the party that supported him.

“This move might be seen as a pushback against PDI-P,” Emrus told BenarNews.

“Jokowi has always said that differing political views are not an issue. However, with this reshuffle, it becomes more apparent that Jokowi is no longer in sync with PDI-P,” Emrus said.