No Political Horse Trading During Appointment of Jokowi's Ministers: Observer

Jakarta (Antara) - Political horse trading should not overshadow the appointment process of Jokowi's ministers, Director of the Institute of Civil Archipelago Nanat Fatah Natsir stated. "Horse trading politics should not be applied during the appointment of Jokowi's ministers. I believe President-elect Joko Widodo will not do that. If any, is relatively low," Nanat remarked here on Tuesday. "Cow" trading politics is similar to horse trading politics. It is used to describe the common practice of behind-the-scenes bargaining and lobbying conducted by the legislators to achieve their political objectives. He affirmed that while choosing a minister, political considerations also played a key role besides competence. However, Nanat hopes that President-elect Joko Widodo will maintain a balance between competence and political considerations. When the minister represents a political party, competence and professionalism must be prioritized during the election process. "Ministerial positions cannot be separated from political considerations. But, the important thing is that there should be no horse trading politics," he emphasized. With regard to Jokowi-JK's cabinet structure, Nanat assessed that the inclusion of about 18 technocrats as ministers and 16 ministers from political parties will be an appropriate decision. He agreed on the strength of Jokowi-JK's cabinet, totaling 34 ministries. "In the cabinet, there are more professionals. Hopefully, they can develop Indonesia faster," he stated. (*)