Call her 'Ibu' Tutut now: Subiakto warns<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Newly reappointed Minister of Cooperatives and
\nSmall Enterprises Subiakto Tjakrawerdaja yesterday called for a
\nshow of respect for his fellow ministers.<\/p>\n
\"Please do not call her Mbak Tutut anymore but Ibu Tutut
\nbecause she is now a cabinet minister,\" he reminded journalists
\nwho swarmed around new Minister of Social Services Siti
\nHardijanti Rukmana, whose nickname is Tutut.<\/p>\n
A senior Golkar figure and successful businesswoman,
\nHardijanti is usually called Mbak, meaning big sister, by the
\npublic, while Ibu is an honorific title meaning either mother or
\nmadame.<\/p>\n
The interchange between Subiakto and the journalists was one
\nof yesterday's lighter moments after the new cabinet was sworn in
\nat the State Palace. The event was attended by outgoing ministers
\nand was moving and at times amusing.<\/p>\n
Former minister\/state secretary Moerdiono, who was replaced by
\nSaadilah Mursjid, noted that the new cabinet would face a very
\ntough job curing the country's economic woes.<\/p>\n
He said that he hoped ministers would think twice before
\nissuing statements, especially on sensitive issues, lest they
\nworsen the situation.<\/p>\n
\"I used to be very cautious in making statements because I
\nworried that they might impact negatively on society,\" said the
\nman who worked for Soeharto for 32 years.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono, known for speaking very slowly and falteringly,
\napologized to housewives across the country who sometimes became
\nso annoyed by his wavering speech that they reportedly turned off
\ntheir television sets.<\/p>\n
Minister of Agriculture Justika Sjarifudin Baharsjah, the
\nfirst female to head a technical ministry, said she had heard
\nsome criticism of her appointment which puts her in the post last
\nheld by her husband Sjarifudin.<\/p>\n
\"Men tend to underestimate women. They think women cannot do
\nbetter because it is even very hard for men,\" said the minister
\nwho is a professor at the Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB).<\/p>\n
Generally, the ministers were aware of the pessimistic light
\nin which the public viewed the new cabinet and they vowed
\nyesterday to prove that they are capable of assisting President
\nSoeharto overcome the economic turmoil.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty
\nEradication Haryono Suyono even challenged government critics to
\ncome up with concrete proposals for the new cabinet.<\/p>\n
Press<\/p>\n
Minister of Information Alwi Dahlan promised to protect the
\nfreedom of the national press, but also warned the press that he
\nwould place the national interest above anything else.<\/p>\n
\"None of us want to ban elements of the media,\" Alwi pointed
\nout.<\/p>\n
State Minister of Environment Juwono Sudarsono promised to use
\nhis expertise as a professor of international relations to
\npromote environmental diplomacy.<\/p>\n
Most of the hand-over ceremonies were held in the ministers'
\nrespective offices yesterday.<\/p>\n
Mar'ie Muhammad transferred his duties to Minister of Finance
\nFuad Bawazier in an emotional ceremony.<\/p>\n
Mar'ie, known for his resilience and his integrity, failed to
\nhide his tears when delivering his farewell statement.<\/p>\n
A similar ceremony took place in the Ministry of Religious
\nAffairs, where Tarmizi Taher told his successor Quraish Shihab to
\ndo better than him.<\/p>\n
Soeharto's eldest daughter Hardijanti received the Ministry of
\nSocial Services portfolio from Inten Suweno.<\/p>\n
Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo, former minister of forestry, wept
\nafter the ceremony at the Palace, but not because he had lost his
\njob. \"I remembered my wife who died last year,\" he said. (prb)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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