Abuse of prerogative<\/p>\n
The President has the prerogative right to appoint and dismiss
\nmembers of his cabinet. In the political sense such a right can
\nbe easily abused. Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly
\nAmien Rais reminded us the other day that the latest dismissal of
\ntwo ministers in charge of economic affairs, by President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid, could well be seen as abuse of this
\nprerogative right. The replacement of one of them by somebody
\nfrom the President's own party, Amien Rais added, is abhorrent in
\nthe reform era.<\/p>\n
House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung saw in the
\nlatest cabinet reshuffle and the filling of vacancies by people
\noutside the original parties that won the general election as a
\nviolation of the political ethics and coalition agreement at the
\noutset of the cabinet formation.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, President Abdurrahman Wahid did not find it
\nnecessary to consult the leaders of the political parties
\nconcerned before taking the action.<\/p>\n
The media reported that the reason for the firing of the
\nministers was their failure to cooperate with other ministers and
\nthat this was a weak argument for their dismissal. It should have
\nbeen the responsibility of the captain of the cabinet to patch up
\ndissenting views and proceed with the agreed program of the
\nentire administration.<\/p>\n
The general public was displeased by the fact that the track
\nrecord and experiences of the new ministers do not promise a
\nbetter performance. The slide of the rupiah to Rp 8,000 against
\nthe U.S. dollar immediately after the installation ceremony was
\nseen by many as a bad omen.<\/p>\n
President Abdurrahman Wahid is now showing more of his
\nauthoritarian character instead of the spirit of an exemplary
\ndemocratic leader. When he summoned one of the ministers
\n(Laksamana Sukardi) and told him not to ask for an explanation of
\nthe dismissal, he was acting rather like a despot (absolute
\nruler). Ministers are admittedly the President's assistants
\n(Indonesian: pembantu), but they are not \"pembantu\" or servants
\nin the real sense of the word. This lack of political leniency
\nand democratic tolerance may cause him real problems sooner or
\nlater.<\/p>\n
GANDHI SUKARDI<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/abuse-of-prerogative-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }