"(I am still considering it) until now. I will first look at issues related to the citizenship problem, especially the process (of his regaining Indonesian citizenship)," said Jokowi in Serang, Banten, on Sunday.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), during his second cabinet reshuffle on July 27, appointed Arcandra Tahar as energy and mineral resources (ESDM) minister, replacing Sudirman Said.

However, he dismissed the new minister on August 14 after it was revealed that Arcandra had foreign citizenship.

Yet on September 1, 2016, Justice Minister Yasonna Laoly reinstated Arcandras Indonesian citizenship.

After the restoration of his Indonesian citizenship, legislator Masinton Pasaribu of Commission III on legal affairs of the House of Representatives (DPR) said that Arcandra now meets the conditions needed to be reappointed minister.

"Based on the law, a person could be appointed minister if he or she has Indonesian citizenship. Pak (Mr) Arcandras citizenship has been restored and has officially been registered in the State Gazette," said Masinton in Jakarta on Friday.

Yasonna acknowleged that he had taken the decision to restore Arcandras Indonesian citizenship, in view of the fact that a person should not be stateless.

"We decided to reinstate Arcandras status as an Indonesian citizen on September 1, 2016," Yasonna told a hearing of the Commission III of the House Wednesday.

The government settled the problem of Arcandras citizenship with caution, based on the principle that a person must not be stateless, he said.

Is the president going to reappoint Arcandra to the ESDM ministerial post, now being temporarily held by Co-ordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Binsar Luhut Panjaitan?

If the president reappoints him again as ESDM minister, it will likely create another public debate.

If the president goes ahead and reappoints Arcandra, the public will see it as a second blunder committed by the president, according to Ahmad Sahroni, another member of the House Commission III.

This will not help public confidence, he added.

In the meantime, Jokowi said he was still considering the reappointment of Arcandra as ESDM minister.

"(I am still considering it) until now. I will first look at issues related to the citizenship problem, especially the process (of his regaining Indonesian citizenship)," said Jokowi in Serang, Banten, on Sunday.

Yasonna has reported the citizenship status of Arcandra, who was named energy and mineral resources minister recently but was later removed as he had a US citizenship, Jokowi said.

The head of state said that he had not yet summoned Arcandra with regard to the issue.

"I have not yet seen the details of what the process is like. I have not yet summoned him," said the president.

However, the president was advised that he should not reappoint Arcandra.

"In that case, I hope that the president reviews it if he is planning to reappoint Arcandra as the minister of energy and mineral resources," said Ahmand Sahroni, on the sidelines of an animal sacrifice event in Kebon Bawang, Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, on Monday.

Since the case (his discharge as minister) of Arcandra came to the surface, many people have been questioning his honesty relating to his citizenship status, according to him.

In fact, if he was honest, he could have resolved the problem of his citizenship first before accepting the ministerial post offered by Jokowi.

After all, this case concerned Arcandras integrity, Sahroni, who is a politician of the National Democratic Party (NasDem), said.

The public sees it as a wrongdoing since the beginning, he added.

"It is dangerous for the integrity of the nation. It should not be like a stand-up comedy show (where participants) can go down the stage and also get on again," he said.

"This does not concern personal competence, smartness or credibility, but concerns integrity. There has been dishonesty from the beginning," Sahroni added.

Arcandra is fit and can legally be reinstalled as ESDM minister but this depends on President Jokowi, according to Masinton.

"If the president considers that Arcandra is fit to be reappointed as a minister, he can reinstall him, as he has met the legal requirements," he said.

So, it will depend on the president who has the prerogative rights.

The president must have his own considerations in appointing a minister who will assist him in carrying out and accelerating development programs.

However, President Jokowi will increase his political burden if he reappoints Arcandra, according to Igor Dirgantara, the director of Survey & Polling Indonesia (SPIN).

"It will be difficult for the public to accept if the president reinstalls Arcandra as ESDM minister," Dirgantara said last week.

He argued that although Arcandra is highly competent, the government needs a professional who is able to provide solutions to the nations problems without smearing the credibility of President Jokowis administration.

Therefore, the president should make careful political cost benefit considerations to avoid high risks for the administration, according to Dirgantara.(*)

Reporter: Andi Abdussalam
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016