Reviewing the Cabinet<\/p>\n
Should President Abdurrahman Wahid reshuffle his national
\nCabinet? More and more people seem to think so. They say August
\nwill be a good time to do it after he presents his progress
\nreport to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).<\/p>\n
Gus Dur's score card in August will reveal both his
\nachievements and shortcomings since he was elected by the
\nassembly in October. But without having to wait until August,
\nevery one knows that the Cabinet's poor performance is partly, if
\nnot mostly, to blame for the current sorry state of the nation.<\/p>\n
The nation certainly cannot endure four more years of the same
\npolitical uncertainty that has affected so many lives and halted
\nvirtually all new investments over the past nine months.<\/p>\n
Something must be changed in August when the MPR begins a
\ntradition of meeting every year to assess the government's
\nperformance and to keep its policy directions in check. Given the
\ncurrent state of things, the MPR could, at the extreme, turn the
\nAugust meeting into an extraordinary session to impeach the
\nPresident -- as some people are suggesting -- but at the risk of
\nplunging Indonesia even deeper into crisis.<\/p>\n
A more rational proposal would be to give the President
\nanother chance, and let him reshuffle his Cabinet. It has been
\npublic knowledge that the President is not altogether happy with
\nthe Cabinet selection that was virtually imposed on him by the
\nbig political factions that got him elected in October. If he is
\nnow given a free reign to select his own Cabinet, not only is
\nthere a chance that he will get it right, but he will also start
\ntaking ownership of more of his constitutional responsibilities
\ninstead of passing the blame onto individual Cabinet members.<\/p>\n
By all indications, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
\nHouse of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung and MPR Chairman
\nAmien Rais have warmed up to the idea of a Cabinet reshuffle. As
\nheads of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan), Golkar and the National Mandate Party (PAN), they,
\nalong with the United Development Party (PPP), Gus Dur's own
\nNation Awakening Party (PKB) and the Indonesian Military are the
\nmajor partners in this national coalition government.<\/p>\n
While it is not clear how far each of these partners are
\nwilling to let Gus Dur choose his own Cabinet, now seems a good
\ntime to take another look at the concept of a national
\ngovernment. When Gus Dur was elected in October, it seemed a good
\nidea at the time for him to form a cabinet encompassing all the
\nmajor political factions. Besides returning the favor for
\nelecting him, involving the major factions in government was in
\nthe spirit of reconciliation and cooperation which were needed at
\nthe time.<\/p>\n
The experience of the past nine months however suggests that a
\nnational government was not a workable preposition. Poor
\ncoordination is only a symptom of deeper problems within the
\nCabinet. Many members have a divided loyalty and have effectively
\nbeen serving two bosses, the President and their party leaders.<\/p>\n
The old adage that loyalty to the party ends at the moment
\none's loyalty to the nation begins does not apply to many in the
\nCabinet. Given the frail condition of the President, many of them
\nseemed to be jockeying for positions of power in the eventuality
\nthat something might happen to him before his five-year term
\nends. Rather than shedding their party colors and agenda, they
\nare consolidating their positions in their respective parties
\neven as they serve the government.<\/p>\n
Megawati was reelected PDI Perjuangan chairwoman; Minister of
\nJustice and Legislation Yusril Izha Mahendra got reelected as
\nchairman of the Crescent and Star Party (PKB); Coordinating
\nMinister for the Economy Kwik Kian Gie and Attorney General
\nMarzuki Darusman retain their executive posts in PDI Perjuangan
\nand Golkar. Even Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab has been
\nhard campaigning for the PKB chairmanship. Only Minister of
\nForestry Nur Mahmudi resigned from the Justice Party chairmanship
\nto dedicate himself to his Cabinet job.<\/p>\n
Assuming that Gus Dur would be allowed to name his own
\nCabinet, he would do well to invite a bigger partner to join his
\nsmall PKB in the government. PDI Perjuangan seems the ideal
\nchoice, not only because it is the largest faction in the House,
\nbut also because it would strengthen the existing partnership
\nbetween Gus Dur and Megawati. A PKB-PDI Perjuangan coalition
\nwould allow them to govern effectively, and push some of their
\nlegislative agendas through the House.<\/p>\n
As for the other major political parties, there are other more
\neffective ways of serving the country than by being inside the
\ngovernment. A Golkar-led coalition of opposition parties in the
\nHouse would make a formidable force to check on the powers of the
\nPKB-PDI Perjuangan government. Each major party would thus have a
\nclearly defined democratic role to play in this arrangement.<\/p>\n
The concept of a grand national coalition, while nobel and
\nwell intended, may be at the root of some of Indonesia's
\npolitical problems today. The time has now come to replace the
\nconcept with something else. Letting Gus Dur have his way and
\nallowing him to name his Cabinet could actually make for a
\nhealthier and more orderly democracy in this country.<\/p>",
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