"No, there are no suggestions," he remarked when asked by journalists about inputs for the next cabinet on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Indonesia Digital Test House in Depok, West Java, on Tuesday.
The head of state also refrained from giving his view on the discourse about increasing the number of ministries, from 34 to around 40, in Prabowo-Gibran's future government.
"(Concerning) the upcoming cabinet, you can simply ask the president-elect," he told the media.
Earlier, Deputy Chairman of Prabowo-led Gerindra Party, Habiburokhman, remarked that the president-elect had been seeking plenty of advice from President Jokowi in relation to the formation of the cabinet for the 2024-2029 period.
He said Prabowo views Jokowi as his mentor who shares insights about leadership, hard work, and critical decisions.
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However, Habiburokhman refused to regard the Prabowo-Jokowi relations as an indication of the president's intervention in the formation process of the next ministerial cabinet.
"This is not intervention. One thing is for sure is that Mr. Prabowo will ask (Jokowi) for opinions," he stated.
The politician then expressed belief that the actualization of the cabinet expansion discourse would bring about positive outcomes.
"The involvement of more people will not be a problem. In my personal view, the more the better," he remarked at the Parliamentary Complex, Jakarta, on Monday (May 6).
He opined that Indonesia, as a big country, needs more manpower to properly run the government.
"Since we are a big country with tough challenges and tall targets, it is only natural for us to gather more people within the government," he stated while emphasizing that the cabinet expansion will not be meant to accommodate political interests.
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Translator: Yashinta Difa, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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