President Jokowi inaugurates Azwar Anas as state apparatus minister

Abdullah Azwar Anas was inaugurated as Minister of State Apparatus and Bureaucratic Reform at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday (September 7, 2022). The previous incumbent, Tjahjo Kumolo, died on July 1. (ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated Abdullah Azwar Anas as the Minister of State Apparatus and Bureaucratic Reform at the State Palace here on Wednesday.

"I swear by God that I will pledge my loyalty to the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia and will conscientiously execute all laws and regulations and will devote myself to the service of the country and the nation," Anas said while taking his ministerial oath, which was read by President Joko Widodo at the State Palace.

"That l will uphold ministerial ethics while executing my duty and will work to the best of my ability with full sense of responsibility," he added.

Presidential Decision No. 91/B of 2022 on the appointment of Onward Indonesia Cabinet minister for the 2019–2024 period, which was signed on September 1, 2022, served as the legal basis for Anas' appointment and inauguration as minister.

Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, Minister of State Secretariat Pratikno, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, and other government officials attended the inauguration ceremony.

With his inauguration, Anas will be the definitive successor to the previous office-holder, Tjahjo Kumolo, who died on July 1. The position has since laid vacant.

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian earlier held the ministerial position on an acting basis from July 4 to July 15, while from July 15, until the appointment of Anas, the post was occupied by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, also as acting minister.

Before his ministerial appointment, Anas had served as head of the Government Goods and Services Procurement Policy Agency (LKPP) since January 13, 2022.

His political career includes serving two terms as the head of Banyuwangi district from 2010 till 2021, and prior to that, as a legislator in the House of Representatives (DPR).