State Secretary Discusses Replacement for Deputy Minister Silmy Karim

State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has revealed that the government does not yet plan to fill or replace the two deputy minister positions currently entangled in legal issues. Nevertheless, he ensured that the relevant ministries continue to operate normally.

“For the time being, there are no plans to fill the positions left by the two deputy ministers who are undergoing legal processes,” he stated when responding to journalists’ questions at the DPR/MPR RI Building, Jakarta, on Saturday (6/6/2026).

Prasetyo explained that the government is not in a hurry to find replacements because these are deputy minister roles. He assessed that the ministries’ duties can still be accommodated by the respective ministers.

“Yes, because the positions are deputy ministers. This means the activities or duties of those ministries, as carried out by the ministers, can still proceed normally,” he explained.

Despite this, Pras mentioned that the government will continue to monitor the situation. He noted that the appointment of new deputy ministers will be considered through an evaluation process.

“Later we will see; if we calculate the need and find we must strengthen the position by appointing a deputy minister, we will look into that after our evaluation. I believe there are no issues at present,” he said.

When asked again whether there would be any appointments in the near future, Pras confirmed that it is not currently a priority.

“There are none, there are none,” he replied briefly.

As background, there is currently a vacancy in the deputy minister ranks after the former Deputy Minister of Immigration and Correctional Services, Silmy Karim, became a suspect in an alleged extortion case related to residence permits for foreign nationals (WNA). The case is being handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).