Jakarta: Public policy analyst Trubus Radiansyah recently advised the government against launching new strategic policies as the end of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s term is close approaching.
According to Trubus, it is best for the current government to now focus on finishing the existing tasks at hand.
“As we get closer to the end of term, the government should not make any strategic policies,” Trubus told Jakarta Globe’s sister publication Beritasatu.
New policies — especially ones that are unfinished by the end of the term — are only bound to burden the incoming Prabowo Subianto government. However, this rule does not apply to the national strategic programs that the Prabowo government plans on carrying on.
Trubus also commented on Chief Cultural Affairs Minister Muhadjir Effendy’s recent remarks that the government planned to provide social assistance to online gamblers. Trubus said that the government needed to think this plan over again. He added: “I think the plans … to give social assistance for those who go bankrupt because of online gambling is not right. It will only cause anxiety among the public as the end of term nears.”
Recently, Muhadjir clarified his statement regarding the aid for online gamblers, saying that it would only be the affected family members who receive the assistance.
“It needs to be understood clearly and not taken out of context. Perpetrators will definitely be dealt with legally as it is a criminal offense. What I meant by recipients of social assistance are the family members such as [the gamblers’] children, wives, or husbands,” Muhadjir said in Jakarta on Monday.
Jokowi’s term will come to an end this October. In his campaign, Prabowo promised the continuity of Jokowi’s existing policies.
