KPK Said to Vet Jokowi’s Ministers

Jakarta Globe, Oct 17, 2014

KPK spokesman Johan Budi at its Jakarta headquarters on Sept. 25, 2014.
(Antara Photo/Rosa Panggabean)

Jakarta. Three days before he is scheduled to be inaugurated, President-elect Joko Widodo appeared to have made a final decision on his upcoming cabinet lineup on Friday.

Two members of Joko’s transition team arrived to the headquarters of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, at 1:30 p.m. on Friday carrying a bundle of documents.

“We don’t know exactly the content of the documents. But yes, the documents contain the names of [Joko’s] ministers,” Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Hasto Kristiyanto, a member of the transition team, told reporters.

He declined to elaborate.

KPK deputy chairman Busyro Muqoddas had requested that Joko or his transition team forward the names of ministerial candidates “immediately” so the commission could carry out background checks.

Busyro said vetting would not take long.

“We already have the data. It’s only going to take a day,” he said.

Joko previously said there would be 34 ministries in his cabinet, led by a mix of technocrats and politicians. The ministers will be overseen by four coordinating ministers.

A source close to the incoming president said that Joko, who is set to be inaugurated as Indonesia’s seventh president on Monday, plans to create a new post of coordinating minister for maritime affairs and the environment, as part of his push to develop Indonesia’s rich maritime potential.

Two of the posts will remain the same: the office of the coordinating minister for political legal and security affairs, and the office of the coordinating minister for the economy.

The existing office of the coordinating minister for people’s welfare, meanwhile, will be replaced with an office of the coordinating minister for human development and social and cultural affairs, the source continued.

Transition team member Andi Widjajanto confirmed that Joko wanted to pay more attention to maritime affairs.

“This is part of his presidential campaign; building Indonesia into the world’s maritime axis,” he said.

The new minister is tasked with increasing fishing production and building solid maritime infrastructure.

With the names submitted, Joko did not disclose further details about the makeup from his four-party coalition.

Earlier, Joko’s team had been in talks with opposition parties in a bid to lure them to switch sides.

Joko on Wednesday met with Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie and on Friday with losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra). Both opposition leaders said they would support Joko’s leadership but maintained that they would stay in the opposition.

Joko will meet outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the chairman of the Democratic Party, today. The United Development Party, or PPP, appears to be the only party likely to join Joko’s Awesome Indonesia coalition (KIH).