Following the election of Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Jusuf Kalla (JK) as President and Vice President of Indonesia for the 2014–2019 term, the public was frequently presented with news concerning disputes among presidential aides. Within the constitutional framework, these presidential aides refer to the vice president and state ministers. Public disagreements widely reported in the media included the dispute between the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises regarding the management policy of the Masela Block. Rizal Ramli also publicly differed with Jusuf Kalla over the development of the 35,000-megawatt power plant project.
Observing this phenomenon, Istigfaro Anjas Ajizi, Suyudi Khomarudin, and Umar Mubdi, students of the Faculty of Law UGM, together with Albert Sudirman from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM, sought to further examine these conflicts among presidential aides. “We became interested in studying this issue because such disputes may significantly affect the implementation of government policies. If conflicts persist, they will certainly hamper policy execution and ultimately impede the development process,” Umar explained.
Anjaz further argued that with the strengthening of Indonesia’s presidential system, conflicts among presidential aides should not occur. The president serves as the single chief executive, meaning that executive governmental authority is fully vested in the president. Ministers in Indonesia are directly appointed by the president and are therefore accountable to the president. This differs from a parliamentary system. Accordingly, the president, vice president, and ministers should ideally maintain a unified position in governing, as presidential aides are expected to carry out the president’s policies and directives.
“It becomes irrelevant when we observe the current phenomenon within the Jokowi–JK cabinet, where several presidential aides openly express differing opinions in public. Such issues should instead be resolved internally within the cabinet,” Anjaz stated. Consequently, Anjaz and his colleagues conducted a research project entitled “Relations among Presidential Aides in the Jokowi–JK Working Cabinet” as part of the Student Creativity Program in Socio-Humanities Research (PKM-PSH).
Through the research, the team concluded that the public disputes constituted a form of political communication employed by President Jokowi. “The commotion can actually serve as a means of communication by the president to directly involve the public in observing ongoing government programs,” said Anjaz. This approach reflects the fact that Jokowi enjoyed strong support from the public and constitutional legitimacy, but comparatively weaker political backing.
“The current working pattern, which results in such public controversies, is perceived as a democratic model of governance. This is because the controversies concern substantive issues related to government policies. Consequently, the public indirectly gains political education from these disputes,” Umar explained. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that alternative methods could also be used to involve the public in national development, such as implementing a centralized information system by publicly releasing cabinet meeting results for public assessment, “rather than allowing the public merely to witness the commotion,” Anjaz added.
The research also sought to formulate an ideal pattern of relations among presidential aides in order to ensure governmental stability, based on three factors. First, from a normative perspective, there must be clear regulations regarding the position, duties, and authority of presidential aides. Second, concerning the role and position of the president, society must be discerning in electing presidential candidates with the best qualifications in terms of performance, leadership style, and procedural understanding. The president must also possess strong support from the public, the constitution, and political institutions. Lastly, with regard to the personal characteristics of presidential aides, the president must not be subject to external intervention in selecting ministers. The president should be free to appoint ministers who share the same vision and orientation. Those appointed must also understand the context in which they work and whom they serve. “When presidential aides fully understand their role and share the president’s vision, public controversies will no longer arise. In that situation, the president will be able to exercise full control over the cabinet,” Anjaz concluded. (Lita)
