Bali. Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, the eldest son of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), was inaugurated as the new Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning on Wednesday.
He filled the position vacated by Hadi Tjahjanto, who was promoted to the role of Chief Security Minister. Hadi succeeded Mohammad Mahfud MD, who resigned earlier this month to contest the election as a vice-presidential candidate.
The inauguration took place at the State Palace in Jakarta with the presence of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
Agus, also the chairman of the Democratic Party, shifted his allegiance to the coalition supporting presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and vice-presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Jokowi, after a dispute with presidential candidate Anies Baswedan in September.
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Anies’ unexpected selection of Muhaimin Iskandar as his running mate sparked displeasure among Democratic Party leaders, including party founder SBY. The Democratic Party accused Anies of reneging on a prior agreement to choose Agus as his running mate, leading to their departure from the coalition in favor of the Prabowo camp.
Agus, 45, resigned from the military to participate in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election, where he ranked last in the three-person contest ultimately won by Anies. This ministerial post marks his first public office, aside from his leadership role in the political party founded by his father.
Furthermore, Agus’ cabinet appointment signals an improvement in the relationship between President Jokowi and his predecessor, SBY.
Previously, both leaders exchanged criticisms about each other’s handling of the nation. SBY, for instance, criticized Jokowi for allocating a substantial portion of the state budget to mega infrastructure projects. In response, Jokowi pointed to numerous unfinished projects from the SBY presidency, necessitating intervention from his administration to bring them to completion.
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