A conservative Cabinet<\/p>\n
For much of the past week, the nation has been so consumed by
\nspeculating about who President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will
\npick as his Cabinet ministers.<\/p>\n
The guessing game ended just before midnight on Wednesday with
\nthe announcement of the 35-strong Cabinet by President Susilo.<\/p>\n
Why this becomes such a major national pastime with each new
\ngovernment is clear: The composition of the Cabinet is just as
\ncrucial as who is elected president in charting the course of
\nIndonesia's development.<\/p>\n
Our verdict: The United Indonesia Cabinet appears to be
\nconservative, probably in more ways than one.<\/p>\n
The inclusion of many old faces in the Cabinet, as well as of
\nolder -- rather than younger -- ministers, defies the reason
\nSusilo was elected.<\/p>\n
Most analysts agree that Susilo owed his landslide victory
\nlast month over former president Megawati Soekarnoputri largely
\nto the people's desire for change. And many saw, or rather hoped,
\nthat Susilo would be a credible alternative to Megawati.<\/p>\n
The presence of former ministers who served in either the
\nMegawati or the Abdurrahman Wahid administration sends the wrong
\nsign about the willingness and ability of the new Cabinet to make
\nthe necessary social, political and economic changes the people
\nwant.<\/p>\n
Let us hope that the few new faces and next-generation
\nministers will prove us wrong.<\/p>\n
At first glance, the Cabinet's composition looks like a good
\nmix of people selected either for their professional competence
\nor their political background. Both are equally important.<\/p>\n
Since Susilo's small Democratic Party does not control the
\nHouse of Representatives, he needed to recruit some politicians
\nwho could help push his policies through. That much is clear.
\nWhat is less clear is whether he had picked the right politicians
\nto serve the purpose.<\/p>\n
There are also one or two individuals with dubious track
\nrecords, but this was probably inevitable, given the compromises
\nthe President has had to make in selecting his Cabinet.<\/p>\n
The bigger question that arose after the President announced
\nhis Cabinet does not concern the lineup so much as the process
\nthat led to his final decision.<\/p>\n
Many of the individuals he selected appeared in various media
\nreports this past week because they had been seen going in and
\nout of Susilo's residence in Cikeas, Bogor. His team also leaked
\nthe names of interviewees deliberately to observe public
\nreactions. If the President intended to give the impression of a
\ntransparent process, however, the final days leading up to the
\nannouncement remained shrouded in mystery.<\/p>\n
It is obvious from the way names appeared and then disappeared
\nin the prospective lineup that the selection process was far from
\nsmooth, tampered by various political forces and figures,
\nincluding Vice President Jusuf Kalla. In spite of assurances that
\nSusilo and Susilo alone possessed the authority to select his
\nministerial team, he continued to be subject to these political
\nforces. This also explains why the announcement of the Cabinet on
\nWednesday was delayed by nearly four hours.<\/p>\n
The final Cabinet lineup is the result of political
\ncompromises reached between the President and those who, rightly
\nor wrongly, claimed to have helped him win the election.<\/p>\n
It is difficult, however, to ignore the impression that Susilo
\nmay have made too many compromises. His remarking that he could
\nnot please everyone, as humble as it may have sounded, seemed to
\nindicate a President who had tried hard to accommodate the
\nvarious demands without putting his foot down.<\/p>\n
Many inevitably see this as another sign of indecisiveness on
\nthe part of the new President, in spite of the huge mandate he
\nreceived from the people to lead them in the way he sees fit.<\/p>\n
Appointing ministers is really about picking the right women
\nand men for the right job, not about appeasing the people,
\npoliticians or parties.<\/p>\n
The President completed the unenviable task of putting
\ntogether a ministerial team to help lead this nation of 220
\nmillion people for the next five years, and for good or ill, the
\nCabinet has been set. Only time will tell whether he did the
\nright thing.<\/p>\n
In the end, the Cabinet will be seen as Susilo's, no matter
\nthe influence others may have played in the selection process. It
\nis his presidency, and it is his credibility that he has put on
\nthe line.<\/p>\n
The President has made his decision. The least the nation can
\ndo now is to let him and his administration work and prove their
\nworth. We wish them all a successful endeavor -- more for our
\nsake than theirs.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-conservative-cabinet-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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