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)