New Cabinet more secure now<\/p>\n
With the Vice President now assigned to technical details of
\ngovernance, allegations involving the President will not likely
\naffect the new Cabinet, says Arbi Sanit, a political science
\nlecturer at the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Question: Will Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who,
\nunder a new presidential decree, now heads the Cabinet, will be
\nable to cooperate well with President Abdurrahman Wahid?<\/p>\n
Answer: Good cooperation between the two depends very much on
\nhow strongly they are committed to state affairs, on how they can
\ncontrol their emotions and on how seriously external factors
\ndisturb them. The relationship between Gus Dur (Abdurrahman) and
\nMegawati is frequently emotional, while ... the lack of trust
\ngiven them by politicians, market players and the public, can be
\nvery disturbing.<\/p>\n
Considering that all Cabinet members have been picked by Gus
\nDur do you think Megawati will be able to control them?<\/p>\n
The presidential decree will demand the Cabinet members
\ncooperate with the Vice President, while the fact that their
\nappointment was not based on the formal sponsorship of political
\nparties will force them to be loyal only to their Cabinet
\nleaders. So the loyalty of the new Cabinet to the President and
\nVice President will be better than that of the previous Cabinet,
\nwhose members were sponsored by political parties.<\/p>\n
Has Gus Dur fulfilled his promise of recruiting professionals
\nwith high integrity for his new Cabinet?<\/p>\n
I think that out of the 26 new Cabinet members, 20 are
\nprofessionals. Some of them reportedly have integrity problems
\nbut we can say that they are generally good.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives (DPR) agreed on Monday to launch
\nan inquiry into two financial scandals -- related to the handling
\nof funds of the State Logistic Agency (Bulog) and financial aid
\nfrom Brunei ruler Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah -- that many believe
\ncould implicate the President. Will the inquiry affect the work
\nof the Cabinet?<\/p>\n
Now that the day-to-day Cabinet management is in the hands of
\nMegawati, any political attack on Gus Dur will not directly
\naffect the work of the Cabinet. The split of the Cabinet
\nmanagement actually gives him a better chance to make political
\nmaneuvers, besides securing the work of the Cabinet.<\/p>\n
Since DPR members are too party-oriented, rather than nation-
\noriented, could the Cabinet be affected by disappointed members
\nwho weren't consulted in the recruitment of new ministers?<\/p>\n
The government is likely to face problems when it wants to
\nobtain approval from the majority of DPR members on its
\nproposals, such as that on the amendment of the military law and
\nthat on the state budget.<\/p>\n
However, the government needn't worry about its budget plan
\nbecause it will still be able to use the previous year's budget
\nplan for its operation next year if it fails to obtain approval
\nfrom DPR up to three times.<\/p>\n
To overcome such problems, the government should always base
\nits proposals on public interests, so that House members will
\nnot dare to oppose them. Otherwise, they will have to face
\nchallenges from the people. I think the government will use such
\na strategy in its fight against opposition in the House.<\/p>\n
Will the process of ministerial mergers affect the Cabinet?<\/p>\n
The reorganization of some ministries, which should be merged
\nor split under the restructuring of the new Cabinet, will likely
\nneed between two weeks and one month. But public service should
\nnot be disturbed because the existing officials or offices will
\ncontinue working before the new officials or offices are
\nappointed and ready to serve.<\/p>\n
Some press reports have raised a new rumor of an extramarital
\naffair of the President. Will this affect the Cabinet?<\/p>\n
No. Again because the running of the Cabinet will be managed
\nby the Vice President.<\/p>\n
Do you think the increased number of bomb explosions in
\nvarious areas is related to disappointment toward the government,
\nor to the planned trial of former president Soeharto?<\/p>\n
They seem to have implications with both of them. However, it
\nis difficult to be specific. Anyway, the recent bomb explosions
\nare challenging Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and
\nSecurity Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has promised
\nbetter security for the nation.<\/p>\n
Considering the motion of the House to initiate inquiries into
\nthe handling of Bulog funds and private contributions that may
\ninvolve the President and other political problems, will Gus Dur
\nbe able to lead until 2004?<\/p>\n
He will survive any political problems until the end of his
\nterm in 2004. He's apparently quite resourceful. During the
\nrecent Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
\ncriticisms against him were fierce but tensions cooled down as
\nsoon as he offered the division of Cabinet management between him
\nand the Vice President.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the House and the MPR can only \"shake\" his
\nposition but they would never dare to topple him because they
\nwon't find a substitute.<\/p>\n
The DPR's motion of inquiry is most likely to end with only a
\nwarning to the President for not having followed standard
\nprocedures because he will be able to prove that he did not use
\nthe funds. (Rikza Abdullah)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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