President Calls on Minister to Work Across Sector

Jakarta (Antara) - President Joko Widodo has called on all ministers to work across sectors and not be concerned only with the interests of their respective ministries. "Our job is to work toward every vision and mission as well as priority programs. A minister must work on the President's directive. Ego clashes between sectors must be stopped," the President said while opening a cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office on Monday. The Head of State remarked that ministers should be able to collaborate with their colleagues in the cabinet. "We have to start a new tradition called across sectors, because no one can work alone," he affirmed. Moreover, the President stated, ministers should seek to remove blockages in the implementation of government programs immediately after they are identified so that their benefits reach the public without delay. Referring to the President's vision and mission as well as deadlocks over policy implementation, he said, "Identify the deadlocks and break them." The President also asked National Development Planning Minister Andrinov to inventory the inputs submitted to him by the President's transition team. "The transition team has provided many recommendations. All ministers must study these recommendations. I ask the National Development Planning Board to explain the recommendations to all ministers," Jokowi said. Meanwhile, he has asked his coordinating minister to convene a meeting to identify problems. "The coordinating minister should report to me in the next two days. All measures should be carried out immediately after they are approved. This will show the Indonesian people that their government is working," he emphasized. "Use audit, focus on the people and on organizational development. Do simplifications in order to be effective and efficient," he added. Earlier, President Joko Widodo's cabinet held its first meeting immediately after its inauguration here on Monday. The meeting was led by President Joko Widodo along with Vice-President Jusuf Kalla at 2pm after the cabinet inauguration ceremony in Merdeka Palace. According to former coordinating minister Hatta Rajasa, global economic slowdown is one of the challenges the new cabinet will have to deal with in the next few years. "What we are going to face in the next five years will not be easy, as the global economy will again slow down and certainly affect our country," he said on his twitter account. He stated that the slowdown would reduce economic growth rate from high to moderate while the Indonesian economy in 2014 was predicted to grow by only around 5.3 percent. "In view of that, the government must take serious measures to prevent the country's economy from growing at a very low rate," he added. According to him, another major challenge awaiting the new government is its decision to merge and split ministries. "The government's intention is certainly good but it might become complicated because it is related to budget, human resources, and work culture," he noted. He expressed hope that the move would not hamper the President's efforts to achieve targets.(*)