Kalla stands by economic team amid criticism<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
As pressures increase on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to
\nreshuffle his economic team in the Cabinet, Vice President Jusuf
\nKalla has defended the team's performance over the past year,
\nsaying it has been successful in carrying out economic reform.<\/p>\n
Responding to a recent survey by the Indonesian Research
\nInstitute (LSI) -- which showed that the majority of respondents
\nwere dissatisfied with the government's performance in the
\neconomy -- Kalla simply said the survey, conducted before the
\nOct. 1 fuel price hike, did not reflect the entirety of public
\nopinion.<\/p>\n
\"The government is not run based on a poll of some 1,300
\npeople. We (the government) are not influenced by the survey
\nresults as we are working based on a long-term program, which
\nthus far has been fairly successful,\" the second-in-command said
\nafter Friday prayers.<\/p>\n
While 63 percent of the survey respondents were satisfied with
\nthe government's overall performance, almost half of them, or 47
\npercent, believed the economy had worsened in the past year.<\/p>\n
The disappointments included the government's failure to stem
\nthe rupiah's recent nose dive against the U.S. dollar, maintain
\ndomestic fuel prices at an affordable level in spite of soaring
\nglobal oil prices, as well as ensure fuel supplies and reduce
\nunemployment.<\/p>\n
Kalla said the recent economic turmoil was primarily a result
\nof external factors that could not be related to any failure on
\nthe part of the economic team.<\/p>\n
\"The country's economy is controlled by internal and external
\nfactors. The difficult situation that we are experiencing is a
\nresult of the external factor of higher global oil prices,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"There is no direct relationship between the economic problems
\nand the performance of the economic team. Even the best economic
\nministers would also take the bitter decision to raise fuel
\nprices,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In last year's presidential campaign, the duo had agreed that
\nKalla would have a wide authority in running the country's
\neconomy including choosing the economic ministers.<\/p>\n
While accepting the disappointment over the economy, the Vice
\nPresident appealed to the public not to express their resentment
\ntowards the economic ministers as they were just carrying out the
\ngovernment's programs.<\/p>\n
Susilo is expected to give an evaluation of his ministers'
\nperformance sometime after Oct. 20 -- which marks his first year
\nin power. He has repeatedly promised to replace ministers deemed
\nto have under-performed.<\/p>\n
But sources at the Presidential Palace said Susilo was
\nunlikely to discharge the economic ministers -- led by
\nCoordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie, Kalla's
\nclose associate when he was still active in business as well as
\nin the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) --
\nsince it would cause political turmoil.<\/p>\n
Kalla is the chairman of the Golkar Party, which in the House
\nof Representatives has the most seats, 129. Compared to Kalla,
\nSusilo is only supported by the newly established Democratic
\nParty, represented by 57 seats in the House.<\/p>\n
\"Replacing economic ministers linked to Kalla or to the Golkar
\nParty is feared may cause resentment among them, which will
\neventually cause difficulties for the President in passing his
\nreform agenda,\" said a close aide to Susilo.<\/p>",
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