VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

During the period of his government that began in 2014, President Joko Widodo has reshuffled his cabinet for the third times on Wednesday 17 January. There was a change of ministers; They are Idrus Marham replacing Kofiffah Indarparawangsa who resigned as Minister of Social Affairs, General TNI (Ret.) Moeldoko as Chief of Staff of President replacing Teten Masduki, Agum Gumelar as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council replacing Hasyim Muzadi.In addition, the President also inaugurated Marshal Madya, Yuyu Sutisna as Air Force Chief of Staff.

Related to reshuffle head of presidential staff, President Joko Widodo said that the presence of Teten Masduki remains within the palace, but now he becomes the special staff coordinator but in detail his duty will be submitted by the Secretary of State. With the change of position, President Joko Widodo views that Teten Masduki will continue to be close to himself, specifically in the execution of the duties of the president.

After the inauguration, Chief of Presidential Staff, Moeldoko said that he had communicated with Teten Masduki to continue the work programs that exist in the institution of the Presidential Staff. Moeldoko’s communications are done to consolidate a number of work programs at the new institution in his office. It is intended that all the national work programs of government’s Nawa Cita can be completed in 2019.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives DPR, Agus Hermanto views that the cabinet reshuffle will not change the political constellation.He also pointed out that Idrus Marham and Khofifah are both supporters of Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla. Agus Hermanto sees little change in the position of Minister of Social Affairs from Khofifah Indarparawangsa to Idrus Marham. Agus assessed that the cabinet reshuffle is the prerogative of the President.

Indeed, the 3rd cabinet reshuffle does  not change significantly in the performance of the government. The purpose of the cabinet reshuffle is certainly to improve the performance of the cabinet ministers of government in the implementation of the Nawa Cita programs of the government. We can see that the positions are replaced by many vacant positions such as Social Affairs Minister, Presidential Advisory Board, and Air Force Chief of Staff. So politically, this does not disturb the work programs of Nawa Cita. In addition, it seems that President Joko Widodo does not want political turmoil in his government. Because the year -2018 is called as a kind of political year that he says at every opportunity. So, the stability and harmony of the cabinet in the government must continuously be maintained. In addition, the increasing number of ex-military elements within the government indicates the importance of strong people from the established environment in maintaining the stability of the situation and the field conditions in completing the government's work programs until 2019.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Jakarta on Thursday (18/1) received the Chairman of the Election Supervisory Board to discuss preparation for the 2019 election abroad. According to a press release issued by the Foreign Ministry's official website in Jakarta on Thursday (18/1), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has signed an overseas cooperation agreement with the General Election Commission. The purpose of the agreement is to cooperate in the implementation of the 2019 General Election for Indonesian citizens abroad. The agreement is a guideline for the KPU and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in carrying out their respective duties and responsibilities in the holding of elections abroad. Ministry of Foreign Affairs overseeing 132 RI Representatives abroad committed, assisting the success and smoothness of elections abroad in 2019 in accordance with the mandate of the Election Law No.7 of 2017.tr-yti.kemlu.18.1’18.mar

At least 20 countries on Tuesday  held  a High Level Conference discussing the two Korean conflict in Vancouver, Canada. In the meeting initiated by the United States and Canada, the start of the talks was still focused on imposing sanctions on North Korea, for its activities in conducting nuclear tests. Perhaps that is why, China was not invited in Vancouver. As is known, Beijing is North Korea's major ally and trade partner.

The China’s absence  may  related to  US and Japanese statements before the conference. They insisted that the conference would focus on sanctions imposed on North Korea, rather than seeking solutions to the feud between the two nations living on the same peninsula. Japanese government sources said that countries in the world need to force the North Korean government to change its policies. By  maximizing  pressure through all available means, including through full implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

On the other hand, it is still possible that  the Vancouver summit would  come up with another solution that leads to both Koreas’ peace move. Host of the Conference, Canadian Foreign Minister Christia Freeland, as reported by Vietnamese radio, had been in talks with her South Korean counterpart Kyung-wha on various issues including bilateral relations.

On the sidelines of the summit yesterday, Foreign Minister Freeland revealed the possibility of a diplomatic solution to solve the North Korean nuclear test problem. On the same day, Foreign Minister Freeland also held a separate meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister, Taro Kono. From these facts, there appeared to be an attempt to resolve the crisis of North and South Korea through a diplomatic approach.

The efforts of a truly diplomatic solution are still open. North Korea and South Korea on Tuesday 9 January seemed to have a similar view about the need for military talks, to ease tensions between the two countries. As reported by the BBC, South Korea called on North Korea to end hostile acts that could escalate tensions, while North Korea agreed to the need of a peaceful atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula.

It remains to be seen whether the summit in Vancouver could help both Koreans solve their problems or not. Apparently, the key is in the United States that hosted the meeting with  Canada. If Washington persists in its policy, diplomatic efforts may still be difficult to achieve. While the shift in Washington's stance is likely to change Beijing's position as Pyongyang's main ally. It is undeniable that the two Koreas can not be separated from the influence of the United States and China.