Cabinet people<\/p>\n
Commonly, Indonesian Cabinet members throughout the years have
\nfitted a general stereotype. More often than not, these leaders
\nwere highly educated Javanese male Muslims their 50s. They were
\ngenerally also officials, either from the bureaucracy, the Golkar
\nParty or its affiliates, or from the ranks of the military.<\/p>\n
Any deviation from this stereotype is always a fresh break as
\nthe nation comprises a much wider range of interests than this
\nstereotype reflects. In a widely diverse country such as
\nIndonesia, setting up a body of decision makers that more or less
\nreflects the nation's diversity is a smart first act of goodwill
\nfrom a president; indicating the leader recognizes differences
\namong the people and is willing to work with and for all of them.<\/p>\n
The plurality reflected in the United Indonesia Cabinet
\ninstalled on Thursday should be welcomed. A dozen out of the 36
\nmembers are from outside Java, which increasingly became the
\ncountry's center of power under former strongman Soeharto,
\naccumulating ire from non-Javanese and leading to issues we are
\nall still learning to deal with.<\/p>\n
The source of Cabinet members these days is no longer limited
\nto the boringly predictable sources of the \"big Golkar family\" --
\nthe bureaucracy, party executives or the military.<\/p>\n
Today, business representatives, academics and professionals
\nmix with bureaucrats, some former ministers, a handful of retired
\nmilitary and police officers, and politicians in the new Cabinet.<\/p>\n
Wider access to higher education has enabled presidents to
\nseek executive members from among the best-schooled of the
\ncountry's sons and daughters, and very few of the current members
\nare without a postgraduate degree.<\/p>\n
However, of the ministers, only four are non-Muslims and four
\nare women -- the latter figure in keeping with the promise made
\nearlier by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
Many people may understandably wish the Cabinet was more
\nrepresentative of the country's minorities. One could also raise
\ncriticism about the number of women, for instance, which could be
\nmuch higher; at least 30 percent in line with a United Nations
\nstudy recommending this as the \"strategic minimum\" of women in
\ndecision-making positions internationally.<\/p>\n
One could also lament the skewed age demographic of this
\nCabinet, which has 25 members who are over 50. There is thus
\nlittle hope for the kind of fresh air in the executive here
\nbrought about by younger ministers in neighboring countries, who
\nnot so long ago raised eyebrows among gray-haired leaders of
\nSoutheast Asia's regional bodies as they gently nudged at the
\nregion's sacred creed of non-interference in other countries'
\npolitical affairs.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, the symbolic diversity in this Cabinet is a good
\nstarting point to enable the President to become, as he said in
\nhis maiden speech, a president \"for each and every Indonesian.\"<\/p>\n
This goal requires the ability and insight to look beyond the
\npolitical interests that bind him, interests which were already
\nevident in the Cabinet selection and which have raised questions
\nas to how much the President really cares about certain issues
\naffecting the majority of the people.<\/p>\n
\"To protect each Indonesian soul,\" as he also said, would mean
\nSusilo going repeatedly back to his notes when he toured the vast
\ncountry to hear as much as possible what the people wanted.<\/p>\n
For the people have grown impatient with their lot and hold
\nhigh hopes of change despite repeated warnings against expecting
\ntoo much.<\/p>\n
All eyes are now on the concrete short and medium-term plans,
\nwhich will soon be issued from each ministry. At the end of the
\nday, merit alone will be the sole judgment of this Cabinet and
\nits actions will overshadow the brief appreciation of its
\nnovelty.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cabinet-people-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}