Appointment of Acting Minister a Common Practice, Says Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry

JAKARTA, Jan 23 (Bernama) -- The appointment of Communication and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi as acting Foreign Affairs Minister in the absence of Retno Marsudi is a common practice in the administration.

This always occurs when a minister is on official duties abroad and, in fact, Retno had previously been appointed as the acting Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The minister, Retno, is currently in New York to attend the United Nations Security Council debate on Gaza and hold several meetings with some of her counterparts," the ministry’s spokesperson, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, noted in a statement.

He further explained that the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pahala Mansury, is in Kampala, Uganda, representing Indonesia for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) meeting.

Meanwhile, the President's Presidential Staff Coordinator Ari Dwipayana pointed out that the decision-making authority of acting ministers is usually at the ministerial level.

On Jan 19, President Joko Widodo appointed Budi as the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs while Retno was on a two-day official trip ending Monday (Jan 22).

Budi's appointment sparked public discussions following speculations that several Cabinet ministers planned to resign, including Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

However, Joko Widodo denied this last Saturday, emphasising that his Cabinet continues regular duties.

-- BERNAMA