Calls mount for Cabinet reshuffle amid failures

Calls mount for Cabinet reshuffle amid failures

Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Calls to reshuffle the Cabinet are again mounting. Analysts have
blamed the development on the Cabinet's poor teamwork and asked
whether a reshuffle would benefit President Megawati
Soekarnoputri. The answer appears to be both yes and no.

Continued blunders, such as a Government-sponsored treasure
hunt and the inept handling of issues surrounding the eviction of
Indonesian workers from Malaysia, have led up to new pressure for
changes in the Cabinet lineup.

"The time is right for Megawati to reshuffle the Cabinet,"
political analyst Indria Samego of the National Institute of
Sciences (LIPI) said over the weekend. "It will boost the
government's performance."

Media reports have speculated a reshuffle will be announced
after Megawati returns from her trip to South Africa and Europe
in September.

Several members of Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) have also called for new ministers.

Last week Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agil Al Munawar
embarrassed the government when he gave permission for a treasure
hunt on a protected historic site in the West Java town of Bogor.

Earlier labor minister Jacob Nuwewa was lambasted for his lack
of action after many thousands of illegal Indonesian workers were
booted out of Malaysia.

Sporadic debate between ministers as to whether Indonesia
needs the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is providing
aid under a tough austerity program, has come to undermine the
government's credibility.

"It comes down to poor coordination," Indria said.

Indeed, the only minister whom critics have labeled as
incompetent is Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil. Others
have either failed to follow the government's line, like
outspoken State Minister for National Development Planning Kwik
Kian Gie, or have been criticized for their policies.

Indria added that several ministers might be competent but
they were unable to get things moving, such as Coordinating
Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti.

"Dorodjatun has a good understanding of the economy but we
cannot approach our economy with theories alone."

The economic team has been praised for reestablishing cordial
relations with international donors, notably the IMF.

A stronger rupiah and a vibrant stock market are the immediate
impact of this. Yet bank restructuring remains painfully slow and
farmers, the largest source of employment in Indonesia, cannot
compete with the glut of imported commodities.

"Megawati's fate depends on how the public is responding to
her government," Indria said. "It may not be in her character (to
change ministers) but she might do it anyway out of necessity."

Rumors of Cabinet reshuffles first emerged late last year.
Those playing down the possibility argued that Megawati refused
to follow the infamous moves of predecessor Abdurrahman Wahid who
frequently changed ministers.

It took Megawati more than two weeks to finalize her 32-member
Cabinet. But she rewarded the waiting with a sound lineup which
focused on professionalism without disfavoring political allies.

Megawati confidante and PDI Perjuangan deputy Secretary
General Pramono Anung agreed that a reshuffle was unlikely.

"I asked her directly about this (reshuffle plan) and she said
no," Pramono told The Jakarta Post.

Recruiting new ministers less than two years before the 2004
general election may also prove risky, according to political
observer Riswandha Imawan of the University of Gadjah Mada.

A reshuffle would show her as shifting problems onto others
which he said would miss the point.

Riswandha said the Cabinet was suffering more from poor
teamwork rather than incompetent members. "We have here a team of
specialists. The malady among many specialists is that they have
big egos, and that is hampering teamwork," he explained.