REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Deputy of Jokowi's Transition Team, Andi Widjajanto said that President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo was not interested to have a presidential spokesman. He is supported by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who also did not want to appoint a spokesperson.

Kalla said that he did not need other people to represent him when he wanted to communicate something.

"I am the spokesman for myself. I do not want people to look at me wrong," Kalla said on Friday.

The head of state generally has a spokesman to connect him with others. Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has Julian Aldrin Pasha as his spokesman. He was appointed in 2nd United Indonesia Cabinett. He replaced Andi Alfian Mallarangeng who became previous spokesman in the cabinet.

Presidential spokesman is a new profession in the country, popularized by the late former president Abdurrahman Wahid, who appointed academician Wimar Witoelar as his right-hand man during the administration. Now, the role of presidential spokesman has shifted in that they’re expected to be more pro-active not only in becoming the primary source of presidential directives but also in getting the message from the president across to the public.

Pasha graduated from Hosei University in Japan. He is a bright man and still a prolific academician-cum-writer, who has produced a number of well-cited publications, including Indonesian Political Economy: Strategy and Its Deficiency.

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