TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The president-elect's idea to set up a transition team must be commended from at least two perspectives. First, the team fills the void between the time the presidential election results were officially declared on July 22 and the president's inauguration on October 20. As Jokowi often said, he wants his government to start working immediately after his inauguration and after his cabinet has been formed. The task of the transition team is therefore to prepare for a smooth handover between the old and new administration.
Second, the transition team's task is to localize 'the players'. Without this team, one can imagine just how many people would be claiming to be Jokowi's representatives for their own personal benefit. The fact is that even after this 'localization' there are still some team members who persist in 'sneaking in' their favorites. This is where Jokowi and the team's chief Rini Soemarno must act decisively. They must not hesitate in taking measures against their own team members who may be profiting from their positions.
The transition team may be ad hoc but it would be wise for Jokowi not to ignore his own errant team members. He must remember that the biggest stakeholder in the upcoming Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla government is the public which desires a new government filled with honest and hardworking people. In the public's eye, the transition team is a microcosm of the future administration.
Lamentably, because of the action of a few 'elements' inside the team, relations between the Jokowi transition team and that of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's outgoing government have been affected. Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam recently issued an internal memo instructing ministers not to meet the transition team, except after they have consulted with one of the two state coordinating ministers or the state secretary.
Ensuring good relations between the outgoing government and the transition team is certainly a good thing. What should not happen is to allow 'one rotten apple to spoil the whole barrel'. The president's statement that "until October 20, the government's accountability remains fully with me" can be interpreted as an effort to draw the line. After Dipo's circular, communication between the transition team and the Yudhoyono administration came to a grinding halt.
This 'frozen' relations must be eased. Although SBY was reported to have been angered by the 'Jokowi people', he must believe that a successful transition also depends on him. There is no need to involve himself as president and as chairman of the Democrat Party. Right now, together with the Red and White Coalition, the Democrat Party is trying hard to pass the Local Elections (Pilkada) Law in the House of Representatives (DPR). It is generally suspected that through the Pilkada Bill which seeks to have regional councils (DPRD) to appoint regents and mayors, the coalition aims to obstruct Jokowi's administration. With the passing of the Bill, the coalition will find it easy to dominate the local leaders.
Admittedly, the new government's path will not be easy. Besides confronting a potentially obstructive legislature, Jokowi will inherit the massive fuel and electricity subsidies costing Rp363 trillion and a State Budget deficit amounting to Rp257.6 trillion.
Jokowi and his new cabinet must work extra hard. That is why the transition team must not muck around. The four points it must really implement are to prepare strategic areas of the 2015 State Budget, such as preparing the government's institutions, including the formation of the cabinet, to disseminate the president's and vice president's vision and mission in planning and program policies, and to accelerate the implementation of the Indonesia Healthy Card and the Indonesia Smart Card two of Jokowi's flagship programs.
There is no need to enforce unrealistic programs, just to be different. The Indonesia Healthy Card, for example, can be implemented by making use of the Social Welfare Guarantee Board (BPJS) program, which started earlier and which has proven to be relatively successful. To avoid public confusion, the transition team's work must be immediately publicized.
Based on that agenda, Jokowi and Kalla can then begin to ponder who will sit in their cabinet. Jokowi's statement that the transition team only prepares the platform and not nominate ministers, is truly commendable. With this clarification, members of his transition team will, hopefully, not entertain vested interest plans.
It is also hoped that this prerogative is not missed by the elected president. Taking into consideration the candidates' proposals based on their 'stakes' in the government is not wrong. But this representative matrix should not ignore the qualifications of the candidate in question. If all this criteria is taken into consideration, Jokowi's burden on the steep road ahead would be significantly eased. (*)
Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
