A new partnership

The new division of tasks between President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri marks a new partnership which should plug one of the chief deficiencies of the government. It promises a new beginning for the government whose performance has been criticized as lackluster at best.

It is now clear that one of the problems with Abdurrahman's presidency has been his physical disabilities, particularly his impaired vision. Unable to read, he has had to rely on the advice of members of his tight inner circle to keep abreast of developments.

He has been forced to do away with prepared speeches and to resort to making off-the-cuff remarks on just about every occasion. While these may have put the President in a more candid light, there is a limit to how effective a president can lead a country by relying on his memory instead of written documents.

His slips of the tongue have become embarrassingly too frequent, undermining not only his own presidency and the government, but also the credibility of the country. He may have a penchant for making controversial statements or cracking jokes, but many have fallen flat or come across as downright insensitive.

These are just some of the examples of the difficulties of having a president who is almost blind. Not surprisingly, he received a lot of criticism when he presented his first annual progress report to the People's Consultative Assembly this month.

Thankfully, this problem has been addressed, or at the very least, admitted by the President. He has since signed a decree delegating many of his presidential tasks -- including leading the Cabinet and signing documents -- to the Vice President.

The new arrangement may not be as far reaching as many people hoped because it is clear from the decree that the President is still very much in charge and is still calling all the shots. But since it marks a new working relationship between him and the Vice President, there is still hope for some improvement in the government.

The early signs of the new Gus Dur -- Ibu Mega partnership give an indication of the kind of relationship these two will have as they jointly lead the government. It is not a partnership between equals that many had expected.

Given Megawati's political strength -- the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), which she chairs, is the largest faction in the House -- she deserves to have more say in the running of the government.

However, looking at the way the new Cabinet was picked, clearly this is a partnership that is still dominated by Gus Dur. This is a partnership between one senior and one junior, or even between a teacher and a pupil.

One could also argue that the working relationship that they have struck reflects the negotiating skills each possess as much as their bargaining strengths. The makeup of the new Cabinet reflects Gus Dur's reluctance to share power as much as Megawati's poor political skills, even when negotiating from a position of strength. It is not the first time that the nation has been exposed to Megawati's weak political acumen. The last time was when she lost the presidential election in October to Gus Dur, although PDI Perjuangan had won the general election fair and square.

For what it is worth, the new Gus Dur - Megawati partnership is a welcome effort to improve the performance of the government. It matters little what kind of partnership these two leaders forge, as long as it works. Given that the two go back a long way, they can form whatever partnership they feel most comfortable with. What matters to most people is that they deliver the goods.