The persons behind president's accountability speech<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Who were the people behind the scenes, those
\nwho compiled President B.J. Habibie's lengthy accountability
\nspeech?<\/p>\n
Generally, most speeches covering such a wide scope are a
\ncombined effort of both formal government officials and the
\npresident's special advisors and trusted colleagues.<\/p>\n
Unlike his predecessor Soeharto, who usually assigned
\nminister\/state secretary or his most senior coordinating
\nminister, Habibie appointed his close advisor Ahmad Watik
\nPratiknya, and not Minister\/State Secretary Muladi, to coordinate
\nthe speechwriting.<\/p>\n
\"Until late this morning Pak Watik was still consulting with
\nthe President on the draft of the speech,\" Habibie's spokeswoman
\nDewi Fortuna Anwar told The Jakarta Post on Thursday afternoon,
\nless than 10 hours before Habibie presented his speech to the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n
Watik's official position is secretary to Indonesia's vice
\npresident. The country no longer has a vice president, after
\nHabibie, who held the post for barely three months, replaced
\nSoeharto on May 21 last year.<\/p>\n
Watik was appointed to the position not long after Habibie
\nvacated his previous position.<\/p>\n
From the Cabinet, Coordinating Minister for Political and
\nSecurity Affairs Feisal Tanjung, Indonesian Military (TNI)
\nCommander Gen. Wiranto were among the busiest ministers,
\nespecially with problems concerning security and human rights
\nabuses, a reliable source said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"That is why the speech strongly protects the military,\" said
\nthe source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
Indria Samego, a senior political researcher at the National
\nInstitute of Sciences (LIPI), acknowledged his involvement in
\ndrafting the speech. He confirmed his new position as one of
\nHabibie's advisors.<\/p>\n
\"It is up to my friends to judge whether my answer is biased.
\nI tried to encourage (Habibie) that each element in the
\naccountability report was not merely rhetoric,\" Indria said on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas prepared the section on
\nEast Timor. Dewi, however, was also intensively involved in it.<\/p>\n
On economic affairs, Habibie could not depend on former
\ncoordinating minister for economy, finance and industry Ginandjar
\nKartasasmita, since he left the Cabinet to become an MPR member.<\/p>\n
Habibie's economic advisor, Umar Juoro, was intensively
\ninvolved in the speech-making process. Both Umar and Indria
\nattended the two Cabinet meetings on the preparation of the
\nspeech this month.<\/p>\n
According to Dewi, Habibie made several major changes to the
\nspeech after he presented it to his Cabinet on Oct. 12.<\/p>\n
Habibie apparently did not only involve government officials
\nin preparing his speech, but also his close relatives, including
\nhis youngest brother Suyatim \"Timmy\" Abdurrachman Habibie. Timmy,
\naccording to some officials, especially advised the president on
\nhow he should read the speech with proper intonation.<\/p>\n
\"Ah, it is not true, the speech is the President's business,
\nnot mine,\" Timmy told the Post at Habibie's residence on Thursday
\nevening.<\/p>\n
Habibie finally had to use Soeharto's former translator Widodo
\nSutiyo to translate his speech into English.<\/p>\n
\"I was just asked to help him in translating the speech into
\nEnglish,\" said Widodo. (05\/mds\/prb)<\/p>",
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