What kind of Cabinet?<\/p>\n
Now that we have a new president and vice president, the focus
\nof the ongoing power struggle is shifting to the lineup of the
\nnew Cabinet. President Megawati Soekarnoputri may have the
\nconstitutional prerogative in forming the new Cabinet, but
\npolitical reality dictates that she must include people from
\nother political parties as well as her own.<\/p>\n
Her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
\nstill has the most votes in the highly fractured House of
\nRepresentatives but, with only 35 percent of the seats, that is
\nhardly sufficient to secure her legislative agenda. Like her
\npredecessor Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati has to either form a
\ncoalition Cabinet with one or more factions in the House to
\nensure a controlling majority, or form a national Cabinet.<\/p>\n
It now looks like Megawati is going for the latter
\narrangement. It is no secret that her party has been discussing
\nthe structure of the new Cabinet with four other major political
\nparties. Talks are already underway between the political
\nparties, each trying to grab a larger piece of the pie.<\/p>\n
This may confirm cynics' suspicions that this process of
\nbringing Abdurrahman down has really been about power-grabbing
\namong the nation's political elite. But politics is always about
\npower and this country's political personality is no exception.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the fact that the Cabinet's composition will be
\nthe result of political horsetrading has spooked many who fear
\nthat the new administration will be run by a bunch of
\npoliticians.<\/p>\n
This takes us back to the perennial debate about the Cabinet
\ncomposition most appropriate and desirable for Indonesia, and to
\nthe question of whether it should be filled with professionals or
\npoliticians.<\/p>\n
At the moment, the argument for a Cabinet comprised of more
\nprofessionals seems to have the upper hand. Given the quality of
\nmost of our politicians, this concern is valid.<\/p>\n
We have had an unhappy, albeit brief, experience with an
\nadministration run by politicians during Abdurrahman's first
\nCabinet. The ministers could not shed their political jackets and
\ncontinued to demonstrate a loyalty divided between the president
\nand their party bosses. Also in such a rainbow Cabinet, the
\npresence of ministers of different political affiliations often
\nundermined the unity of the administration.<\/p>\n
But those who dismiss the workability of a Cabinet filled with
\npoliticians tend to have a short memory, because the nation has
\nalso had a long and unhappy experience with a bunch of ministers
\nrecruited because of their professional expertise.<\/p>\n
These "technocrats" may have had the professional competence
\nand even the necessary administrative and leadership skills, but
\nmany lacked the sense of accountability to the people which
\nelected politicians have developed. Because they were not
\nelected, they owed their position, and hence allegiance, solely
\nto the president. Most ended up being the president's "yes men"
\nand either turned a blind to abuses and corruption, or became
\ninvolved in these practices themselves.<\/p>\n
In Soeharto's years, these technocrats, including those who
\nran the economy for over three decades, would hide behind the
\npresident through their now famous phrase "Bapak said this ...
\nBapak said that". They not only felt that they were not
\naccountable to the people, but they also refused to take
\npolitical responsibility for their failures.<\/p>\n
If Megawati also goes for professionals, don't be surprised to
\nhear the phrase "Ibu said this ... Ibu said that" every night on
\nour televisions.<\/p>\n
There are no hard and fast rules determining what kind of
\npeople should run the Cabinet. At the end of the day, it is not
\nreally the professional competence or the sense of accountability
\nthat should become the primary criteria.<\/p>\n
Going by this nation's previous experience, what Indonesia
\nneeds today is not a Cabinet of professionals or politicians, but
\na Cabinet with a conscience. The question is: do we really have
\nthat many people, among our politicians and professionals, who
\ntruly possess the conscience to work as servants of the people as
\nwell as the President?<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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