Calls mount for Cabinet reshuffle amid failures<\/p>\n
Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Calls to reshuffle the Cabinet are again mounting. Analysts have
\nblamed the development on the Cabinet's poor teamwork and asked
\nwhether a reshuffle would benefit President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri. The answer appears to be both yes and no.<\/p>\n
Continued blunders, such as a Government-sponsored treasure
\nhunt and the inept handling of issues surrounding the eviction of
\nIndonesian workers from Malaysia, have led up to new pressure for
\nchanges in the Cabinet lineup.<\/p>\n
\"The time is right for Megawati to reshuffle the Cabinet,\"
\npolitical analyst Indria Samego of the National Institute of
\nSciences (LIPI) said over the weekend. \"It will boost the
\ngovernment's performance.\"<\/p>\n
Media reports have speculated a reshuffle will be announced
\nafter Megawati returns from her trip to South Africa and Europe
\nin September.<\/p>\n
Several members of Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan) have also called for new ministers.<\/p>\n
Last week Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agil Al Munawar
\nembarrassed the government when he gave permission for a treasure
\nhunt on a protected historic site in the West Java town of Bogor.<\/p>\n
Earlier labor minister Jacob Nuwewa was lambasted for his lack
\nof action after many thousands of illegal Indonesian workers were
\nbooted out of Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Sporadic debate between ministers as to whether Indonesia
\nneeds the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is providing
\naid under a tough austerity program, has come to undermine the
\ngovernment's credibility.<\/p>\n
\"It comes down to poor coordination,\" Indria said.<\/p>\n
Indeed, the only minister whom critics have labeled as
\nincompetent is Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil. Others
\nhave either failed to follow the government's line, like
\noutspoken State Minister for National Development Planning Kwik
\nKian Gie, or have been criticized for their policies.<\/p>\n
Indria added that several ministers might be competent but
\nthey were unable to get things moving, such as Coordinating
\nMinister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti.<\/p>\n
\"Dorodjatun has a good understanding of the economy but we
\ncannot approach our economy with theories alone.\"<\/p>\n
The economic team has been praised for reestablishing cordial
\nrelations with international donors, notably the IMF.<\/p>\n
A stronger rupiah and a vibrant stock market are the immediate
\nimpact of this. Yet bank restructuring remains painfully slow and
\nfarmers, the largest source of employment in Indonesia, cannot
\ncompete with the glut of imported commodities.<\/p>\n
\"Megawati's fate depends on how the public is responding to
\nher government,\" Indria said. \"It may not be in her character (to
\nchange ministers) but she might do it anyway out of necessity.\"<\/p>\n
Rumors of Cabinet reshuffles first emerged late last year.
\nThose playing down the possibility argued that Megawati refused
\nto follow the infamous moves of predecessor Abdurrahman Wahid who
\nfrequently changed ministers.<\/p>\n
It took Megawati more than two weeks to finalize her 32-member
\nCabinet. But she rewarded the waiting with a sound lineup which
\nfocused on professionalism without disfavoring political allies.<\/p>\n
Megawati confidante and PDI Perjuangan deputy Secretary
\nGeneral Pramono Anung agreed that a reshuffle was unlikely.<\/p>\n
\"I asked her directly about this (reshuffle plan) and she said
\nno,\" Pramono told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Recruiting new ministers less than two years before the 2004
\ngeneral election may also prove risky, according to political
\nobserver Riswandha Imawan of the University of Gadjah Mada.<\/p>\n
A reshuffle would show her as shifting problems onto others
\nwhich he said would miss the point.<\/p>\n
Riswandha said the Cabinet was suffering more from poor
\nteamwork rather than incompetent members. \"We have here a team of
\nspecialists. The malady among many specialists is that they have
\nbig egos, and that is hampering teamwork,\" he explained.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/calls-mount-for-cabinet-reshuffle-amid-failures-1447893297",
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