Susilo bends under pressure<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is struggling to put
\ntogether a Cabinet on the eve of his inauguration as various
\npolitical forces lobby to have their say or secure seats at the
\nCabinet table for their own people.<\/p>\n
The four-star retired Army general has now interviewed a total
\nof 30 candidates, after he summoned five more candidates on
\nTuesday, mostly from parties that supported him during the
\nelection.<\/p>\n
The five interviewed on Tuesday were Taufik Effendi and Jero
\nWacik of Susilo's Democratic Party, MS Ka'ban and Yusril Ihza
\nMahendra of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and Supreme Court
\nJustice Abdurrahman Saleh.<\/p>\n
Yusril, who arrived in the afternoon, said that he came not
\nfor an interview but merely for a consultation on how far the
\nselection process had progressed.<\/p>\n
He also said that the PBB had not withdrawn its support for
\nSusilo as had otherwise had been reported.<\/p>\n
\"We are still supporting SBY and what Pak Sahar has said was
\nhis personal view,\" Yusril said, referring to the PBB deputy
\nchairman, who said that the party would consider abandoning
\nits support should Susilo press ahead with his appointment of
\n\"pro-IMF\" ministers.<\/p>\n
The possible outcome of the selection, however, remained iffy,
\nwith Susilo appearing to buckle under pressure from political
\nforces.<\/p>\n
One of the first casualties of the jostling could be economist
\nSri Mulyani Indrawati, whom many had expected to get either the
\njob of coordinating minister for the economy or the finance
\nportfolio.<\/p>\n
The threat from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) to withdraw
\nits support for Susilo if he picked \"pro-IMF\" economists appeared
\nto have an impact. By yesterday afternoon, Sri Mulyani, currently
\nan executive director of the IMF representing 12 Southeast Asian
\ncountries, is no longer being penned in for either of the two
\nmost important jobs in the economics team, and instead found
\nherself being nominated for the nominal post of minister of
\nnational development.<\/p>\n
Current Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo
\nYusgiantoro, who was favored to keep his post, has reportedly
\nbeen penned in for the post of coordinating minister for the economy,
\nwhile Syaifullah Yusuf, previously tipped as state minister for
\nyouth affairs, had been reassigned to a new ministerial post, and
\nE.E. Mangindaan, who was previously expected to become minister
\nfor energy and mineral resources, has been assigned the post of
\nstate minister for administrative reforms.<\/p>\n
Hadi Soesastro, executive director of the Centre for Strategic
\nand International Studies (CSIS), warned on Tuesday that Susilo's
\nfailure to resist the pressures would be perceived by the market
\nas setting a bad precedent for the future of his presidency.<\/p>\n
One of Susilo's spokesmen, Andi Alfian Malarangeng, said the
\npresident-elect had decided on thirty names, but there was still
\na possibility of changes being made.<\/p>\n
Susilo is expected to announce his Cabinet lineup on Wednesday
\nevening, hours after he and vice president-elect Jusuf Kalla take
\ntheir oaths of office at the People's Consultative Assembly. The
\nCabinet ministers will take their oaths early on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Andi said that Susilo had still to interview four candidates,
\nbut due to his busy schedule he would not do this at his private
\nresidence. \"They will be interviewed somewhere else, sometime
\nbefore the cabinet lineup is announced,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sources said General Elections Commission (KPU) member Hamid
\nAwaluddin would be interviewed and assigned the post of minister
\nof justice and human rights, while Martiono Hardiyanto would get
\nthe state-owned enterprises portfolio, Joko Kirmanto the public
\nworks portfolio and Farid Husain the health portfolio.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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