TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, has officially conducted a Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. In total, five State Ministers and deputy ministers were replaced in the latest reshuffle.

Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi is replaced by Zulkifli Hasan, chairperson of the National Mandate Party (PAN), while retired National Army (TNI) commander Hadi Tjahjanto now assumes the position of Sofyan Djalil as the Minister of Agrarian Affairs.

The Public Works and Housing deputy minister John Wempi is now tasked to be the deputy minister of Home Affairs, while the Manpower deputy minister is replaced by Afriansyah Noor from the PBB party.

Lastly, the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) board secretary Raja Juli Antoni is appointed as Agrarian Affairs deputy minister, replacing Surya Tjandra.

Rumors about President Jokowi's Cabinet reshuffle had spread since PAN joined the government coalition back in August 2021. A number of PAN politicians in March confirmed that Zulkifli met with the President in talks about candidates to fill in the spots within the government.

Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi is one of the state ministers that have been rumored to be shunted from the Cabinet for the past several months after the prices of cooking oil spiked and caused a public uproar.

Jokowi then made the move to a Cabinet reshuffle that gave a signal that he no longer trusts Lutfi after appointing Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investments Luhut Pandjaitan to solve the cooking oil fiasco.

FAJAR PEBRIANTO

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