- Title: INDONESIA-CABINET Indonesia's president reshuffles cabinet
- Date: 12th August 2015
- Summary: ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** WIDODO OFFICIALS STANDING, INCLUDING (FROM LEFT) INDONESIAN VICE PRESIDENT JUSUF KALLA AND MEGAWATI SUKARNOPUTRI, FORMER INDONESIAN PRESIDENT AND LEADER OF INDONESIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF STRUGGLE (PDI-P) BAND PLAYING NATIONAL ANTHEM
- Embargoed: 27th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Indonesia
- Country: Indonesia
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVADSVLOD8RQ98FPJPNVXC75MW8
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Indonesia's President Joko Widodo reshuffled his cabinet on Wednesday (August 12), replacing ministers mostly in his economic team less than a year after taking office.
As Southeast Asia's largest economy falters, Widodo has come under mounting pressure from his backing party and the public to reshuffle the cabinet over a perceived failure to manage the economic downturn.
In an inauguration ceremony at the national palace, Widodo swore in the six newly appointed ministers.
Darmin Nasution, who was central bank governor from 2010 to 2013 and received his doctorate from the Sorbonne in Paris, was chosen to replace Sofyan Djalil as chief economic minister, while Djalil moved to National Development Planning Ministry.
Nasution, 66, is widely respected in the business community and the financial markets, which may help shore up confidence as the rupiah languishes at its lowest levels against the U.S. dollar in more than 17 years.
Another unexpected choice was the appointment of Harvard-educated financial executive Thomas Trikasih Lembong as trade minister, Chief executive of Quvat Management, a Singapore-based private equity firm that invests in Indonesia, Lembong previously worked at Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley.
Former Coordinating Economic Minister Rizal Ramli was appointed as the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister and Luhut Pandjaitan, a former chief of special forces and close aide to Widodo, retained his role as chief of staff in the president's office and was also appointed as coordinating minister for security and political affairs.
"There are a lot of things we could do to increase the efficiency of the government and give our people an easy life. In addition we hope to make Indonesia more competitive in the region. Therefore we need to work hard to change the current situation," said Ramli after the inauguration ceremony.
Widodo's choice of ministers defied expectations that his own party would compel him to make political appointments, a move that may surprise critics who say he has not been the robust leader they had hoped for when he took office last year. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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