House offers next president 31 ministries

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta

The House of Representatives (DPR) continued its internal deliberations on the Cabinet ministries bill on Tuesday and decided to propose the appointment of 31 ministers to assist the next president carry out his/her state duties.

Of the 31 ministries, 21 will have supporting offices in the regions (what are referred to as portfolio ministries), while 10 will only have offices in Jakarta (what are known as non- portfolio ministries).

Currently, the government consists of only 30 ministries, including three coordinating ministries. Some of the existing ministries are to be maintained, while some others will be abolished.

"We are not including the coordinating ministries in the lineup. It is the prerogative of the president whether to form coordinating ministries or not," said legislator Effendy Choirie of the National Awakening Party (PKB) after an internal meeting here on Tuesday.

The deliberation of the bill is mandated by the 1945 Constitution as amended.

Article 17 (4) of the Constitution stipulates that the establishment, alteration or dissolution of a Cabinet ministry shall be provided for by law.

This allows the House to intervene in the establishment of Cabinet ministries, despite the country's presidential system.

Another legislator, Permadi, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), said that the results of the House committee's internal meeting would be discussed with the government.

"It is not a final product. The government can make changes to the bill," he told The Jakarta Post.

After finishing its internal deliberations, he said, the House would send the bill to the President so that she could assign a minister to represent the government during the deliberations.

Permadi added that the House would also invite the public to express opinions and provide advice on the bill.

On Monday, legislature monitoring group Formappi urged the House to involve the public in the discussions.

Formappi secretary-general Sebastian Salang criticized the House for failing to explain the substantive reasons behind the establishment of what the lawmakers called "historic" ministries.

The move could affect the performance of the Cabinet, he said.

Meanwhile, Choirie further said that the committee had agreed to convert the existing Office of the State Minister for the Acceleration of Development in Eastern Indonesia into the Office of the State Minister for the Acceleration of the Development of Rural and Underdeveloped Regions.

It is hoped that the new ministry will boost development not only in eastern Indonesia, but also in other underdeveloped areas throughout the country.

The legislators also discussed the possibility of creating an Office of the State Minister for Finance and Development Supervision.

According to Choirie, the decision to elevate the supervisory body to the ministerial level was aimed at making supervisory activities more effective.

Portfolio ministries proposed by the House committee

1. Ministry of Home Affairs

2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs

3. Ministry of Defense

4. Ministry of Law and Legislation

5. Ministry of Finance

6. Ministry of Religious Affairs

7. Ministry of Education

8. Ministry of Health

9. Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Welfare

10. Ministry of Telecommunications and Information

11. Ministry of Agriculture and Food

12. Ministry of Forestry

13. Ministry of Transportation

14. Ministry of Industry and Trade

15. Ministry of Maritime Affairs

16. Ministry of Public Works

17. Ministry of Manpower

18. Ministry of Mines and Energy

19. Ministry of Tourism

20. Ministry of the Environment, Population, and Transmigration

21. Ministry of Cooperatives, and Small and Medium Enterprises

Non-Portfolio Ministries

1. Ministry of National Development Planning

2. Ministry for Administrative Reform

3. Ministry of Research, Science, and Technology

4. Ministry for Women's Empowerment and Family Welfare

5. Ministry of Youth and Sport

6. Ministry for the Acceleration of the Development of Rural and Underdeveloped Regions

7. Ministry of Public Housing

8. Ministry of Finance and Development Supervision

9. Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and the National Land Agency

10. Ministry of Culture and Art

Source: House committee