MEMBERS of Surya Paloh’s NasDem Party now occupy key positions in President Joko Widodo’s administration. The recent appointment of H.M. Prasetyo to head the Attorney General’s Office is an example of Surya Paloh’s growing influence over Jokowi. Is the president abandoning his resolve to distance governance from political parties? Surya Paloh has also succeeded in persuading Jokowi to buy oil from Angola, through the brokerage of a business tycoon from China. Just how much of an influence can Surya Paloh wield over the ‘reformist’ president?