Indonesia’s Finance Minister, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, is rumoured to be getting the nomination for the governorship of Bank Indonesia (BI), succeeding Perry Warjiyo, who is set to retire in April, according to reporting from Jakarta Globe.
While providing no denial of the rumours, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Tuesday he has yet to propose a new central bank governor to the House of Representatives.
However, during an exclusive interview with news broadcaster BTV, he cited requirements for his pick, which sounded like the skills and personal qualities that Sri Mulyani has.
“The nominee is proposed by the president but I haven’t made any decision,” Jokowi told BTV Chief Editor Apreyvita Wulansari, who asked the question at the presidential palace in Jakarta.
“I always take the track record of a person into consideration, assessing the personal ability in synergism, because the monetary, fiscal, and real sectors must be safeguarded very seriously in this uncertain world. We need someone with plenty of experience,” the President said.
And experience is something that Sri Mulyani has plenty of having served as Finance Minister under two presidents, including during the first term of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
She was also appointed as the Managing Director of the World Bank Group in mid-2010, before returning to her previous post under Jokowi in 2016.
Her no-nonsense approach proved crucial in providing a good balance between prudent state budget management and the president’s development ambitions, which saw many megaprojects concluded without bleeding the state coffers dry, say Jakarta Globe.
Jokowi admitted that in the cabinet reshuffle, political considerations were sometimes included.
“A reshuffle is a result of very careful considerations about the performance of a ministry or state agency, and how it serves the public. There is also a political consideration but it’s normally just a tiny part [of the decision-making process],” he said.
“There are many good people from political parties, as there are among professionals,” he added.
Source: Jakarta Globe
