On 'bloated' cabinet, Prabowo compares Indonesia and Timor Leste

President Prabowo Subianto compared the proportion of Indonesia’s cabinet structure with that of Timor Leste to explain that a large number of ministries does not automatically indicate an inefficient government.

In his remarks at the closing ceremony of the 35th NU Congress in Jombang, East Java, on Monday, Prabowo responded to the perception of some parties who had previously labelled the ranks of ministries and agencies in his government as a bloated cabinet.

“The cabinet I formed was once called a bloated cabinet, inefficient,” Prabowo said in his speech, as quoted from the official broadcast of the Presidential Secretariat in Jakarta.

Prabowo said that the scale of population and territorial size are the main factors determining the needs of a government structure. He cited Timor Leste, which has a population of around 1.1 million people.

“There is the country of Timor Leste, whose population is only one million. Smaller than many provinces in Indonesia. Smaller than many regencies in Indonesia,” he said.

He said Timor Leste’s population is even below that of a number of regions in Indonesia, such as Bogor Regency and Banyuwangi Regency.

However, despite the country’s relatively small population, Prabowo continued, Timor Leste is supported by a cabinet with a fairly large number of members.

“Timor Leste’s cabinet has 28 members,” Prabowo revealed.

According to the President, the comparison is relevant for viewing the context of Indonesia, which has a population approaching 300 million people and therefore requires a balanced government arrangement.

Prabowo stated that the arrangement of a large cabinet is also in line with the national political consensus, given that his government is supported by the majority of political forces in parliament.

“The coalition government I lead is quite large, seven parties out of eight parties in parliament,” he said.