Jakarta. An analyst said Friday that President Prabowo Subianto would keep an eye on the bosses of Indonesian state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and would not think twice about replacing the underperformers. 

Gerindra Party senior official Hashim Djojohadikusumo claimed that Prabowo would evaluate the performance of his cabinet members six months after being inaugurated, indicating that the former army general would kick anyone whom he considers inefficient, underperforming, or corrupt sometime around March or April.

Following Hashim’s claims, political analyst D Nicky Fahrizal said that this would likely apply to the directors of SOEs as well. This performance-based SOE boss reshuffle is even more likely, given Prabowo’s leadership style of making sure the executive functions are more effective. 

“So I doubt Prabowo will just evaluate the ministers and deputy ministers. I’m pretty sure he will do the same to the SOE’s board of directors,” Nicky, an expert at the think-tank CSIS, told Beritasatu.com in Jakarta on Friday.

Prabowo will likely instruct SOE Minister Erick Thohir to make the reshuffles in these state-owned businesses. Nicky added: “Prabowo might even fire the SOE minister if the latter does not get tough on the SOE boards.”

Just earlier this week, Prabowo inaugurated the Red and White Cabinet which comprised over 100 ministers and deputy ministers. Prabowo’s predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo picked seasoned businessman Erick as his SOE minister in 2019. Erick got to keep his ministerial post under Prabowo.