REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Work-related activities at the home affairs ministry are being hampered as the home affairs ministerial post is yet to be filled, claimed a senior official of the ministry.
"A number of letters on decisions regarding the progress of the administration in the regions are being delayed," Home Affairs Director General for Regional Autonomy Djohermansyah stated here on Friday (24/10).
He noted that certain matters concerning the home affairs minister's authority cannot be delegated to the secretary general, director general, or inspector general.
"So, these matters have to wait until the appointment of the new home affairs minister who has the right to sign letters of decision, for instance, on regional officials, on the leaders of Regional Legislative Assembly (DPRD), on the evaluation of regional government performance (EKPPD), and on the evaluation of the Regional Budget (APBD)," Djohermansyah explained.
If there is a vacant regional head post as a result of any untoward incident such as when the regional head or his/her deputy is incapacitated, a regional official should then be appointed to take over the tasks. The letter of decision for the concerned official should be signed by the home affairs minister.
In the meantime, the formation of the organs of the DPRD at the provincial or municipality level must also be approved by the home affairs minister.
With regard to the EKPPD and APBD, Djohermansyah stated that they have to seek approval from the home affairs minister after their performance has been evaluated.
"The APBD, which has been agreed in the region, must be sent to the central government to obtain approval from the home affairs minister. That is why they must also wait for the appointment of the home affairs minister," the director general noted.
He pointed out that his side's key concern was the likelihood of emergency matters cropping up, including large-scale natural disasters such as tsunami and earthquakes, which necessitate prompt ministerial decision-making for handling them.
Newly installed President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) failed to keep up to his commitment of announcing the lineup of his cabinet on Wednesday as he plans to replace some prospective ministers following scrutiny by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Jokowi had planned to announce his ministerial cabinet on Wednesday, but the announcement was later delayed.
According to political observer Nyoman Subanda, President Jokowi is adopting a cautious approach in selecting the members for his cabinet lineup after the KPK gave yellow and red marks to his prospective ministers.
"I think President Jokowi is being very careful in selecting members of his cabinet lineup, so that he can pick prospective ministers who are clean from corruption. This is a positive step," he stated.
He noted that there is a general public impression that Jokowi was slow in announcing his cabinet ministers. On several occasions since his inauguration as president on Monday, Jokowi said he would soon announce his cabinet structure.
"Jokowi said he would soon make public his cabinet ministers' lineup, yet until four days, today since he was inaugurated on Monday, he has not yet announced it," remarked Nyoman Subanda, who is also the dean of the social and political faculty of the National Education University of Denpasar.
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