Pro-Susilo parties start jostling for Cabinet posts<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Political parties that supported Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the
\nSept. 20 runoff are accusing the retired Army general of
\nbreaching a preelection agreement, after he hinted at giving a
\nprominent Cabinet post to a senior executive of a minor party
\nthat did not campaign for his presidency bid.<\/p>\n
Reliable insider sources told The Jakarta Post on Saturday the
\nparties were now demanding more ministerial posts from Susilo,
\nwho has garnered 60.9 percent of over 109 million ballots counted
\nas of Saturday evening.<\/p>\n
They said the Democratic Party, the Indonesian Justice and
\nUnity Party (PKPI) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) had all
\nagreed to two Cabinet posts each if Susilo and running mate Jusuf
\nKalla won the election.<\/p>\n
\"We also agreed the PKS (Prosperous Justice Party) should have
\na single post, since they helped us in the second round, while
\nthe remainder of the Cabinet posts would be given to
\nprofessionals.<\/p>\n
\"But we simply cannot understand why this party gets a Cabinet
\nposition. Its leaders did nothing in the campaign,\" they said,
\nreferring to the New Indonesia Alliance Party (PIB), which did
\nnot win even one seat in the April legislative election.<\/p>\n
The PIB could not be reached for comment on Saturday.<\/p>\n
PBB chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra played down the discord,
\nsaying no preelection political deal had been made with the three
\nparties that supported Susilo's runoff bid.<\/p>\n
He said only three people were involved in the initial
\ndiscussions regarding Susilo and Kalla's possible win in the
\npresidential election: the two candidates and Yusril himself.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Susilo called it the first shareholders. But this does
\nnot mean we will neglect the others,\" said Yusril, adding that
\nthe Democratic Party, the PBB and the PKPI became involved in
\ndiscussions only at a later date.<\/p>\n
He also said the PBB had yet to begin discussing the Cabinet
\nlineup in the next government, pending the official announcement
\nof the election result.<\/p>\n
The General Elections Commission (KPU) is due to announce the
\nfinal and binding result of the election on Oct. 5, and the new
\npresident will be inaugurated on Oct. 20.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a number of leading figures such as former
\ncooperatives minister Adi Sasono, National Awakening Party (PKB)
\nexecutive Ali Masykur Moesa, regional representatives councillor
\nGinandjar Kartasasmita and legislator Eggy Sudjana said on
\nSaturday that they received short messaging service (SMS) text
\noffering them posts in Susilo's Cabinet.<\/p>\n
Adi allegedly received an SMS reading: \"Please come to Puri
\nCikeas on Saturday at 6. Don't tell anybody (Heru Lelono).\"<\/p>\n
Heru is Susilo's personal secretary, and Puri Cikeas is a
\nhousing estate in Bogor, West Java, where Susilo resides.<\/p>\n
Ali, on the other hand, received an SMS saying that former
\npresident Abdurrahman Wahid and his daughter Zanuba Arifah
\nChafsoh had nominated him as a ministerial candidate.<\/p>\n
Susilo refuted the SMS messages on Saturday as misleading and
\nurged the public not to believe them.<\/p>\n
\"Much misleading information has been circulating either
\nthrough SMS or word of mouth. It is said that SBY gave out free
\nprepaid telephone cards and invited ministerial candidates to
\nCikeas. Please don't believe in this misleading information. SBY
\nis still waiting for the final results of the election,\" Susilo
\nwas quoted by detik.com on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Heru said some of those who had received the
\nmessages tried to confirm them with Susilo or his aides.<\/p>\n
\"The selection of Cabinet members is the prerogative of Pak
\nSBY. There have been some discussion about the Cabinet, but these
\nconcerned the structure, not candidates,\" he said.<\/p>",
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