SBY caught between practicality, mysticism<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular and Slamet Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Having once served as a full-time Presidential residence, the
\nGedung Agung Presidential Palace in Yogyakarta witnessed another
\nhistoric moment on Monday when for the first time in Indonesia's
\nhistory, the president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, announced a
\nlimited Cabinet shakeup outside the capital.<\/p>\n
Susilo drafted and announced the changes on Monday at the
\nbuilding -- which once served as the residence of founding
\nPresident Sukarno between 1946 and 1949 -- after calling Vice
\nPresident Jusuf Kalla to join him in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
Kalla's public relations advisor, Muchlis Hasyim, said the
\nVice President previously had no plans to fly to Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Susilo called Pak Kalla three times, insisting the latter
\nmeet with him in Yogyakarta ... The Vice President had previously
\nplanned to go home early as he didn't feel well,\" Muchlis said.<\/p>\n
Susilo had earlier been expected to announce the changes soon
\nafter his ministers submitted their performance appraisals in
\nOctober. Speculation has been rife that the cause of the delay
\nhas been a tug-of-war between the country's two top leaders over
\nthe makeup of the Cabinet's economic team.<\/p>\n
But Susilo's decision to make the announcement in Yogyakarta
\nhas raised many eyebrows. Many believe it was merely for
\npractical reasons due to his itinerary, which included a keynote
\nspeech at the opening of the second International Junior Science
\nOlympiad (IJSO) for junior high students earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
As he is expected to attend a ceremony at the Military Academy
\nin Magelang, Central Java -- some 50 kilometers north of
\nYogyakarta -- on Tuesday morning, it would be impractical for the
\nPresident to fly back to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"It would be a waste of time and money if I were to return to
\nJakarta just to announce the reshuffle and then go to Magelang
\nthe next day,\" Susilo said in his speech.<\/p>\n
Gedung Agung itself is no stranger to the country's historical
\nevents. Apart from serving as the presidential residence for a
\ntime, the palace also witnessed the inauguration of the country's
\nfirst military commander, Gen. Sudirman, in 1947. It has also
\nserved as the venue for the Independence Day commemorations,
\nevery Aug. 17.<\/p>\n
But aside from the practicality and the historical records,
\nmany also believe that the announcement in Yogyakarta was based
\non Susilo's attempt to seek \"good luck\" in his tenure with the
\nnew ministers as Yogyakarta, being the seat of the Javanese
\nkingdom for centuries, is seen as a sacred place.<\/p>\n
Susilo denied that his choice of Yogyakarta had anything to do
\nwith mysticism.<\/p>\n
\"The announcement has nothing to do with mysticism,\" he
\nremarked. \"I am a devout Muslim. Don't mislead the public about
\nsuch issues.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sby-caught-between-practicality-mysticism-1447899208",
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