- After many ministers were called to the presidential palace on Tuesday, there has been growing talk of a shake-up in the cabinet in recent days.
- Non-cabinet members including the National Mandate Party leader Zulkifli Hasan and the former military commander Hadi Tjahjanto were also called.
- After enacting an unexpected restriction on palm oil exports in April, Minister Lutfi blamed a “palm oil mafia” for undermining efforts to regulate cooking oil costs.
Media reports state that Indonesian President Joko Widodo is set to announce a cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, with the commerce ministry among the ministerial positions anticipated to change.
After many ministers were called to the presidential palace on Tuesday, there has been growing talk of a shake-up in the cabinet in recent days.
Although Reuters was unable to immediately authenticate the allegation, the Koran Tempo newspaper cited sources who stated that a reorganisation would be announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Agrarian and spatial planning Minister Sofyan Djalil, Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi, and Coordinating Economics Minister Airlangga Hartarto were among the ministers called to the palace on Tuesday.
Non-cabinet members including the National Mandate Party leader Zulkifli Hasan and the former military commander Hadi Tjahjanto were also called.
Analysts predict that the commerce minister may be replaced as a result of political pressure for how the government handled measures to control a rise in domestic cooking oil.
After enacting an unexpected restriction on palm oil exports in April, Minister Lutfi blamed a “palm oil mafia” for undermining efforts to regulate cooking oil costs.
The export embargo, which has since been overturned, sent shockwaves through international markets and resulted in numerous arrests for suspected corruption.
Political analysts suggest the president might potentially try to nominate someone from the National Mandate Party (PAN), which joined the government coalition earlier this year.
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