"Threat of 'Full Cabinet Reshuffle if Necessary'... 45% of the Public React Negatively"
[Asia Economy Jakarta Correspondent Sujin Choi] Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed unprecedented anger in a plenary cabinet meeting speech, causing a stir in the local government circles.
According to local media including The Jakarta Post on the 14th, President Jokowi recently harshly criticized the ministers at a cabinet meeting attended by all ministers, saying they were not properly responding to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). President Jokowi, presiding over the meeting, said, "The past three months and the next three months are critical," adding, "But we are still acting as usual. I am very angry." He then threatened to completely reshuffle the cabinet if necessary, as the ministers were wasting time without the will to overcome COVID-19.
The fact that President Jokowi showed anger in a public setting attracted attention because it was completely different from his usual image. Known as the president of the common people, President Jokowi is called "Father" by the public due to his pro-people policies. He was elected in 2014 with a 55.5% approval rating and was re-elected last year with his characteristic inclusiveness, entering his second term. His tone always resembles that of ordinary people and he is famous for not being authoritarian. He personally inspected border areas riding a motorcycle, the most popular means of transportation among Indonesians, and even appeared at the Asian Games opening ceremony on a motorcycle.
The angry speech spread rapidly online as a 10-minute video. The Indonesian Institute for Socioeconomic, Educational, and Information Studies (LP3ES) analyzed that President Jokowi’s stern demeanor toward the ministers elicited negative public reactions. LP3ES President Didik stated that through big data analysis of online conversations on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and over 6,000 news articles, 45% of the public expressed negative opinions about President Jokowi’s angry speech, 25% evaluated it positively, and 31% took a neutral stance. Didik assessed that President Jokowi’s public display of anger likely reflected his frustration with his own inability to implement appropriate COVID-19 response strategies, programs, policies, and personnel management.
Burhanudin, CEO of Indicator Politik, analyzed that the video was likely an attempt to gauge public reaction. Mentioning a cabinet reshuffle was probably not just an outburst of anger but an action to test public sentiment.
Indonesia’s COVID-19 situation remains severe. So far, the cumulative death toll has reached 3,606, and confirmed cases exceed 75,000. The daily average of confirmed cases is about 1,700. However, government disaster relief payments are still slow. In April, the Indonesian government announced a special disaster aid package worth $49.6 billion for about 5 million domestic unemployed Indonesians, but after three months, only 34% of the unemployed have received the aid. Given Indonesia’s total population of 260 million scattered across 17,000 islands, distribution is not easy. Especially, most of these people do not have bank accounts, which is also cited as a reason for the delay in payments.
President Jokowi instructed, "We must boost consumer spending sentiment and immediately implement disaster relief payments to facilitate smooth currency circulation." He added, "If necessary, I will submit a presidential decree to the legislature." Upaidila Badrun, a political science professor at the University of Indonesia, pointed out, "President Jokowi has failed to manage the ministers he favors," and questioned, "Isn't it too late to expect an effect from the angry speech?"
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
