"The essence of this ministry is being retained by changing the name to the Coordinating Maritime and Resources Affairs Ministry," Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Rizal Ramli noted here on Thursday.
Speaking to journalists after attending the transfer of duty ceremony here, he affirmed that the additional word "resources" was necessary as the coordinating ministry coordinates those handling maritime and fisheries affairs, tourism, and transportation along with energy and mineral resources.
Ramli, a former coordinating economic minister and finance minister under President Abdurrahman Wahids government, was sworn in by President Jokowi on Wednesday to replace Indroyono Susilo as the coordinating maritime affairs minister.
In addition to changing the ministrys name, two additional departments in the real sector will also be added under his ministry, he revealed.
"Please ask the president about the two additional departments that will become part of the Coordinating Maritime and Resources Affairs Ministry. We want to accommodate the strengths of the real sector as it is able to create more job opportunities," he noted.
The real sector would add economic value to the ministry, Ramli stated.
Ramli was one of the new ministers installed by President Jokowi on Wednesday.
Five others who were installed by the president were Sofyan Djalil who replaced Andrinof Chaniago as head of the National Development Planning Minister/National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), Luhut Pandjaitan, Darmin Nasution, Pramono Anung, and Thomas Lembong.
Luhut Pandjaitan, a retired general and presidential chief of staff, replaced Tedjo Edhy Purdijanto as the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister while Darmin Nasution, former Bank Indonesia governor, took the position of Sofyan Djalil as the coordinating economic minister.
Pramono Anung, a senior politician of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), replaced Andi Widjajanto as the cabinet secretary, and Thomas Lembong, a former official of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (BPPN), took the position of Rachmat Gobel as the trade minister.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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