PRESIDENT Joko Widodo has appointed Sri Mulyani Indrawati as the new finance minister, replacing Bambang Brodjonegoro. Regarded as an expert in managing budgets, this economist received the warmest applause among the nine new ministers in Jokowi's Working Cabinet. Her arrival is a refreshing change amid the country's financial doldrums and a growing budget deficit.

Sri Mulyani is not new to government work. She was finance minister during the Susil