Abdurrahman makes mark on State Secretariat

Abdurrahman makes mark on State Secretariat

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid has finalized the
revamping of the powerful State Secretariat, a move which will
also pave the way for Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri to
announce her own working team.

Acting state secretary, Bondan Gunawan, announced the new
structure of State Secretariat and the new job descriptions of
the President's four official secretaries.

Citing presidential decrees No. 58, Bondan said the state
secretary will only concentrate on administratively serving the
President as it has lost its decisive control over state agencies
along with the offices of 13 state ministers and three
coordinating ministers.

"An institution which has relatively small power, its
organization will be more effective and efficient in carrying out
the duties of public service and daily administrative support for
the President," Bondan said.

Bondan, who is also secretary of government supervision,
pointed out the overall number of civil servants working at the
office will also be reduced to about 600 from the current 3,000
personnel.

Previously, the State Secretariat administratively controlled
several state agencies, including the National Logistics Agency
(Bulog), and State Intelligence Coordinating Board (Bakin).

"Despite the revamping, there will be no layoffs here," Bondan
said without elaborating on where the employees would be moved.

Bondan also said he would soon end his duties as acting state
secretary, because his term is for only be six months.

Abdurrahman axed state secretary Ali Rahman in February and
appointed Bondan to temporarily fill the job.

"I will soon accomplish my work here," said Bondan, adding
that he would resume his job as secretary of government
supervision.

Bondan declined to name the next state secretary.

It is believed that Djohan Efendi will be appointed to the
job.

Djohan Efendi currently works as head of the Ministry of
Religious Affairs' research and development center. Djohan is
regarded as among the few people who can openly express their
differences of opinion with the President.

The President has four official secretaries, including the
state secretary.

In his state duties, he is assisted by Presidential Secretary
Djoko Mulyono, Cabinet Secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak, Secretary
of Government Supervision Bondan Gunawan, and Military Secretary
Rear Marshal Budhy Santoso.

According to Bondan, not all of the secretaries have
ministerial level positions.

"But they will receive the facilities which are similar with
services given to ministers," Bondan said.

Presidential Secretary Djoko is assigned to arrange the
President's daily activities, handle protocol and media affairs,
and the maintenance of Bina Graha presidential office, along with
the six presidential palaces.

The main task of the secretary of government supervision is
to monitor the government's daily activities.

Under the new scheme the three other secretaries, except
Djoko, will have three deputies and one expert staff.

Djoko will only have two deputies, and one expert staff.

According to Bondan, each secretary will have at most 200
civil servants working under their supervision.

Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri is also expected to
announce her new team soon.

Currently she has installed senior bureaucrat Bambang Kesowo
as vice president secretary.

Bambang worked as Cabinet deputy secretary for five years
until September 1998. He was in charge in the drafting of bills
and presidential decrees under Soeharto's rule.

Born on March 27, 1945, Bambang obtained his Master's Degree
from Harvard Law School in 1983. He was continuing his studies at
the university when Megawati asked him to become her aide last
December.

The vice presidential palace currently employs about 200
personnel, nearly half of them work as servants, gardeners, and
house keepers at the office or her official residence on Jl.
Diponegoro, Central Jakarta.

But the Vice President's office is expected to undergo a large
recruitment soon.

Presidential Decree No. 56, issued on April 20, augments the
structure for the Vice Presidential Secretariat Office.

The decree empowers the vice presidential secretary to help
with the daily tasks of the Vice President and her husband Taufiq
Kiemas, both in Indonesia and on foreign trips.

According to the decree, Bambang is allowed to have five
deputies, including deputies for political and economics affairs.

Each deputy is allowed to have at most five bureaus. Each
bureau can have five sections while each section is allowed to
have four sub-sections.

But officials at the presidential office have promised to keep
the size of the expanded secretariat at a manageable level.

"Ibu Mega does not want to repeat the President's mistakes of
recruiting inexperienced people for top aide positions," one of
Megawati's senior advisors told The Jakarta Post recently. (prb)