The TNI’s Personnel Issues
Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto recently announced another round of job rotation of high-ranking officers of the Indonesian Military (TNI). A few of the high profile jobs affected are the position of Commander of the Kasuari Territorial Command ( Pangdam Kasuari) and Commander of the Cendrawasih Territorial Command (Pangdam Cendrawasih). TNI structural reform.
Measuring Jokowi’s Rhetorics
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo gave a speech before the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (MPR RI) in the latter’s annual session. It’s his customary, pre-independence-day speech. Since it’s a big speech after his victorious re-election, many wonder whether Jokowi would be making any bold statement. Did he?
Jokowi’s Cabinet Design
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo met with editors in chief of mainstream media outlets yesterday (Aug. 14). In a generous move at entertaining the press, the President gave a teaser on the shape of his upcoming cabinet. The new cabinet, the President said, would be young and mostly professional, with the addition of at least two new ministries and the merger of a few ministries. Let’s go over this idea one by one. Let’s start with Jokowi’s goal of setting up a professional cabinet.
Jokowi and Businessmen
As part of Indonesia’s 74th Indonesian Independence Day celebration, President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo is scheduled to hand out honorary awards to the nation’s prominent figures. According to the list circulated in the social media, four businessmen are among the candidates to get the awards.
Talks of A Fifth Constitutional Amendment
In 2016, the DPD and the MPR push forth the proposition to amend the 1945 Constitution for the fifth time. This drives has not dissipated. Lawmakers have begun to speak of this proposed amendment once more. Here we note their remarks.
Victim of Politics
The personal life of Officer Cadet Candidate Enzo Zens Allie was dissected by the press after the suspicion that he could have ties with the notorious Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) went viral on social media platforms. The TNI has repeatedly explained its cadet recruitment process in a bid to convince the public that no radical recruit would pass their screening. But at this point, the case might have gone beyond the issue of ideological infiltration into something even more troublesome: politics.
Prabowo, Hijackers, and the Ruling Coalition
One moment an enemy, the next an ally. Such is the nature of politics. What one sees captured in the press are but parts of the story. After the riots that broke in May 21, 2019, netizens quickly turned to Prabowo Subianto. He was the failed presidential candidate whose supporters had run amok in the streets of the Capital City. But here we are today, Prabowo is now the symbol of unification. He’s also being painted as a patriot. What on earth is going on?
PDI-P maintains the winning team
PDI-P chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri has decided to maintain most of party executives contributing to its victory in this year’s legislative election and the reelection of party cadre Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo. Hasto Kristianto, for example, is maintained as the party’s secretary general, which breaks the party’s tradition.
Regeneration Joke
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is holding its 2019 congress in Bali. National media outlets widely reported the opening of the congress yesterday. They mostly noted the much-anticipated attendance of Gerindra Chairman Prabowo Subianto. Overall, it was a bland news cycle. PDI-P had promised a surprise from Megawati, but there wasn’t any. If the news of her renewed leadership of PDI-P was supposed to be the surprise, then it wasn’t a very good one. All that buzz on regeneration was for naught.
Fantasy Cabinet (1)
Imagine if Susi Pudjiastuti, minister of fisheries, will be appointed new minister of health, or Sri Mulyani Indrawati, finance minister, as minister of education in the second term of President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo. General consensus in the market is a status quo for both famous ladies, but be prepared for some surprises.