Jakarta. Djayadi Hanan, the executive director at pollster Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI), recently said that the public deserves an explanation on why President-Elect Prabowo Subianto would need a 44-strong cabinet.

The current cabinet has 30 ministers and 4 coordinating ministers. Prabowo is reportedly planning to expand his cabinet once he assumes office this October. The plans sparked concerns among experts that the expansion could lead to a larger government spending. According to Djayadi, Prabowo himself should give a good explanation of his plans.

“It is quite a challenge for Mr. Prabowo [and Vice President-Elect] Gibran to explain why they need to have more ministers,” Djayadi said Monday.

There is still not much information about the cabinet expansion, according to Djayadi.  Gerindra Party’s acting chairman Sufmi Dasco Ahmad recently said that Prabowo intended to have more ministers to deliver on the campaign promises he made during the election.

“The reasoning behind the cabinet expansion is still unclear. We heard that it was to fulfill what he had promised during the election. But the question is what sort of campaign promises would need this addition,” Djayadi said.

He added: “Something like this needs objective technocratic considerations, meaning that it should be based on the needs. What are their goals, and what kind of ministries would they need? How many people are needed and who will get picked? We have not heard any of this.” 

Prabowo is set to assume office on Oct. 20. The former army general should announce the cabinet makeup around that date.

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