Cabinet members differ on giving up party posts

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Cabinet members are split over whether they are obliged to quit their positions in their respective political parties as a consequence of the contract they signed to put state duties before party interests.

Of eight ministers who hold party posts, two of them have explicitly refused to give up their post, while the rest are still hanging in the balance pending a decision from their respective parties.

Chairman of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) Yusril Ihza Mahendra and its secretary-general M.S. Ka'ban insisted there would be no conflict of interest if they kept their position in the Islam- based party.

"Our party regulations do not oblige us to resign, but we will focus on the state duties and not the party's," Ka'ban said over the weekend as quoted by Antara.

He said Yusril had demonstrated that being a party chairman did not necessarily affect his performance as a Cabinet minister and neither did he use his position as a state official for the benefit of his party.

Yusril, who served as justice minister under presidents Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri, is currently state secretary, while Ka'ban is minister of forestry.

Before assuming their ministerial posts, all candidates for the Cabinet signed an agreement with president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that requires them to focus on state duties, undergo regular performance appraisals and be ready to resign in case of poor achievement. Susilo, however, did not ask the ministerial candidates to leave their positions in their respective parties.

The contract also applied to State Minister of Administrative Reforms Taufik Effendi who is also deputy secretary-general of the Democratic Party, which Susilo cofounded.

Political analyst Indria Samego of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said the fact that the President did not request the ministers to resign from party posts raised a question about the credibility of the contract.

"If it supposed to be a contract to ensure loyalty to the state; such a requirement should be there. Without it then the significance of the deal is questionable," Indria told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He suggested that all ministers who hold executive posts in political parties follow in the footstep of People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid, who resigned as Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman.

Two ministers from the National Awakening Party (PKB), Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab and State Minister for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions Saifullah Yusuf said they were ready to give up their party positions, but would wait until the PKB congress next year.

"It would not be a big deal if I had to resign as party executive tomorrow," Saifullah told the Post on Sunday.

He said things might be a little difficult for Alwi as he received the mandate as PKB chairman during its congress in 2000, therefore he could not just quit.

"Alwi has to wait until the party congress to decide whether he has to give up the position," Saifullah added.

Meanwhile, a sociologist from the University of Indonesia, Ganda Upaya, said not only ministers who hold a position in political parties, but those who hold positions in the corporate world or any other groups should also fully concentrate on their new positions.

"They should resign to prevent a possible conflict of interest or misuse of their power," he said.

Ganda said they should quit their parties or corporate positions on their own initiative as there was no regulation requiring state officials to do so.

Minister party/firm affiliation position

1. Yusril Ihza Mahendra Crescent Star Party chairman

2. M.S Ka'ban Crescent Star Party secretary-general

3. Alwi Shihab National Awakening Party chairman

4. Saifullah Yusuf National Awakening Party secretary-general

5. Hatta Radjasa National Mandate Party secretary-general

6. Bambang Sudibyo National Mandate Party deputy chairman

7. Suryadharma Ali United Development Party deputy chairman

8. Taufik Effendi Democratic Party deputy sec. general

9. Soegiarto Medco Energy finance director

10. Aburizal Bakrie Bakrie Business Group owner

11. Fahmi Idris Kodel Group owner