Why Jonan and Arcandra?

President Joko Widodo's decision to appoint Ignasius Jonan as energy and mineral resources minister and Arcandra Tahar as his deputy is bewildering and worrying. The public will find it very difficult to understand the confusing reasons behind it.

Jonan, with his background in finance and capital markets, has no competency or experience in energy. He successfully managed state-owned railroad company Kereta Api Indonesia, and many hoped for great things when President Jokowi named him his transport minister. But he only lasted 20 months in the cabinet. This shows that the president judged Jonan not good enough to continue as a minister.

October 25, 2016