The Cabinet reshuffle: Never too late to learn!<\/p>\n
J. Soedjati Djiwandono, Jakarta<\/p>\n
During the more than three-decade long New Order regime of
\npresident Soeharto, many people described the leadership style of
\nSoeharto using a rhythmic Javanese saying that meant \"slow but
\nsure\". In contrast, one could aptly describe the leadership style
\nof President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) in the first year of
\nhis presidency as \"slow and never sure\".<\/p>\n
This could adversely affect the way he handles the complex
\nproblems faced by this nation. He might find it difficult even to
\nset the order of priorities.<\/p>\n
On the very first day of his presidency, the announcement of
\nthe Cabinet was delayed repeatedly for hours. Should not he have
\nthought about this in the days before his swearing-in? Why did he
\nnot learn from his predecessors, every one of whom spent a week
\nor more to form a Cabinet?<\/p>\n
What was the hurry, anyway, when SBY promised to announce his
\nCabinet right after his inauguration? Was he trying to break a
\nmeaningless record? The hurly-burly of those long evening hours
\nfollowing his inauguration could not but arouse speculation on
\nwhat was going on behind the scenes. Where there arguments
\nbetween SBY and Vice President Jusuf Kalla?<\/p>\n
There seems to have been a drawn-out tug-of-war between the
\ntwo leaders about who was to be included in the Cabinet. It was
\nperhaps also related to the political parties that felt they had
\nthe right to claim seats in the Cabinet because they thought
\ntheir support had contributed to SBY's victory. Unfortunately,
\nSBY seemed to have naively believed in all that rubbish. He
\nwrongly believed he owed his victory as the country's first-ever
\ndirectly elected president to these self-centered and self-
\nimagined \"representatives of the people\".<\/p>\n
There was, for instance, a \"political contract\" between SBY
\nand the PKS! What for? Was it not more important that he had
\nagreed to a contract with the people, his voters? SBY does not
\nseem to be sure of his own worthiness, and thus his own power and
\ncredibility as President. He has made himself an object of
\nblackmail by certain parties.<\/p>\n
It is pathetic that as the first directly elected President,
\nSBY does not seem to understand the implications of a direct
\npresidential election. He once made a point of meeting with
\nNurwahid of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the speaker of
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly, in the Assembly building. Why
\nnot invite Nurwahid to the presidential palace? SBY seems to have
\nbeen unaware that he is not subordinate to the MPR, which no
\nlonger has the power to elect the president. Indeed, the MPR is
\nnow a useless institution that should be abolished.<\/p>\n
Perhaps his lack of experience in a leadership position, even
\nduring his military career, has partly contributed to SBY's
\ndiffident leadership. Added to that, his belated advanced
\nacademic achievement -- obtaining his PhD not long before his
\nelection as President -- perhaps did not help make him an
\nindependent, solid and self-confident personality.<\/p>\n
That seems to explain the impression SBY himself has created
\nof never being sure of himself, which has characterized his slow
\nand uncertain leadership. This has certainly disappointed the
\nvoters. He named his Cabinet the \"United Indonesia Cabinet of a
\nUnited Indonesia\". This is similar to Megawati's \"Mutually
\nCooperative Cabinet\" and Gus Dur's \"Cabinet of National Unity\".
\nBut SBY seemed to have been referring to the unity among the
\ndifferent political parties rather than to national unity. He
\nthinks more of the political parties than of the people who
\nelected him.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the Democratic Party, which was founded by SBY
\nand which officially nominated him as its presidential candidate,
\nhas just a single minister in the Cabinet. An observer has
\nwrongly called this phenomenon \"spectacular\", while in fact it is
\nodd or bizarre.<\/p>\n
SBY promised to appoint \"professional\" people as Cabinet
\nministers. However, he must have misunderstood the meaning of the
\nword \"professional\". What is professional about appointing an
\nengineer turned businessman, former chairman of the Chamber of
\nCommerce and Industry, to the position of coordinating minister
\nfor economic affairs? What about assigning an accountant by
\ntraining and former minister of finance, Bambang Soedibyo, to the
\npost of minister of national education? He was in the Cabinet
\nperhaps more to represent the National Mandate Party (PAN) than
\nto represent any profession, although he was a university
\nprofessor.<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Yusril Ihza Mahendra clearly represents the
\nMuslim-based Crescent Star Party (PBB), a small and sectarian-
\noriented party, which did not even pass the electoral threshold
\nto be able to nominate a presidential candidate. Yet he still
\nrefused to go through the fit and proper test at the House of
\nRepresentatives. Oddly, enough, the House kept its mouth shut and
\nSBY proceeded to accept him as secretary of state. SBY, Yusril
\nand House clearly disregarded the issue, which amounted to
\nneglecting an important part of the democratic mechanism of
\nchecks and balances.<\/p>\n
The sluggish leadership of SBY has recently been made clear by
\nhis hesitant stand on a Cabinet reshuffle. The Jakarta Post (Dec.
\n5) referred to \"speculation of a rift\" between SBY and the Vice
\nPresident that clouded reshuffle. Indeed, it has been clear from
\nthe outset that there has been some degree of dualism in the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, their policies tend to pamper the rich while being
\ncallous and insensitive to the plight of the poor, thereby
\ncreating an ever-widening gap between the rich and poor.<\/p>\n
Indeed, the long-awaited announcement of the Cabinet reshuffle
\non the night of Dec. 5 was breaking news. It is never too late to
\nlearn, Mr. President!<\/p>\n
The writer, a political analyst, is a PhD graduate from the
\nLondon School of Economics and Political Science.<\/p>",
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