TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Awakening Party (PKB) deputy secretary-general Dita Indahsari considered President Joko Widodo or Jokowi’s plan to add more seats for deputy ministers a political accommodation. This, she opined, was also valid in Education, Culture, and Higher Education Ministry that was being considered to have a deputy minister.

“So it is no longer about the needs,” Dita told Tempo, Sunday, November 10.

She also questioned the President’s plan to appoint more deputy ministers in his second cabinet. Because Dita said, Jokowi previously willing to simplify the bureaucracy by trimming echelons 3 and 4 in ministries and state institutions.

“It is the president’s rights that we must respect. But we’d like to ask, is this in line with the President’s hope to simplify bureaucracy.”

Dita reiterated that the position of deputy ministers was necessary for ministries having non-autonomous tasks such as the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Religious Affairs, and Ministry of Legal and Human Rights. While other ministries had already had directors-general, expert staffers, special staffers (echelon I) to assist the minister.

Jokowi was rumored to assign six new deputy ministers. Presidential Special Staffer for Communication Fajdroel Rachman confirmed that the President mulled over the assignment of a deputy minister for Education, Culture, and Higher Education Ministry. “It’s being discussed,” said Fadjroel to Tempo, Saturday, November 9.

BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI