Call her 'Ibu' Tutut now: Subiakto warns
JAKARTA (JP): Newly reappointed Minister of Cooperatives and Small Enterprises Subiakto Tjakrawerdaja yesterday called for a show of respect for his fellow ministers.
"Please do not call her Mbak Tutut anymore but Ibu Tutut because she is now a cabinet minister," he reminded journalists who swarmed around new Minister of Social Services Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, whose nickname is Tutut.
A senior Golkar figure and successful businesswoman, Hardijanti is usually called Mbak, meaning big sister, by the public, while Ibu is an honorific title meaning either mother or madame.
The interchange between Subiakto and the journalists was one of yesterday's lighter moments after the new cabinet was sworn in at the State Palace. The event was attended by outgoing ministers and was moving and at times amusing.
Former minister/state secretary Moerdiono, who was replaced by Saadilah Mursjid, noted that the new cabinet would face a very tough job curing the country's economic woes.
He said that he hoped ministers would think twice before issuing statements, especially on sensitive issues, lest they worsen the situation.
"I used to be very cautious in making statements because I worried that they might impact negatively on society," said the man who worked for Soeharto for 32 years.
Moerdiono, known for speaking very slowly and falteringly, apologized to housewives across the country who sometimes became so annoyed by his wavering speech that they reportedly turned off their television sets.
Minister of Agriculture Justika Sjarifudin Baharsjah, the first female to head a technical ministry, said she had heard some criticism of her appointment which puts her in the post last held by her husband Sjarifudin.
"Men tend to underestimate women. They think women cannot do better because it is even very hard for men," said the minister who is a professor at the Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB).
Generally, the ministers were aware of the pessimistic light in which the public viewed the new cabinet and they vowed yesterday to prove that they are capable of assisting President Soeharto overcome the economic turmoil.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono even challenged government critics to come up with concrete proposals for the new cabinet.
Press
Minister of Information Alwi Dahlan promised to protect the freedom of the national press, but also warned the press that he would place the national interest above anything else.
"None of us want to ban elements of the media," Alwi pointed out.
State Minister of Environment Juwono Sudarsono promised to use his expertise as a professor of international relations to promote environmental diplomacy.
Most of the hand-over ceremonies were held in the ministers' respective offices yesterday.
Mar'ie Muhammad transferred his duties to Minister of Finance Fuad Bawazier in an emotional ceremony.
Mar'ie, known for his resilience and his integrity, failed to hide his tears when delivering his farewell statement.
A similar ceremony took place in the Ministry of Religious Affairs, where Tarmizi Taher told his successor Quraish Shihab to do better than him.
Soeharto's eldest daughter Hardijanti received the Ministry of Social Services portfolio from Inten Suweno.
Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo, former minister of forestry, wept after the ceremony at the Palace, but not because he had lost his job. "I remembered my wife who died last year," he said. (prb)