Critics give Cabinet 100 days to prove itselft

JAKARTA (JP): Criticism of the newly formed Cabinet continued on Thursday, however in the spirit of democracy and reconciliation many said they were willing to extend the nascent government a "trial period".

The National Front (Barnas), a group of outspoken critics consisting mainly of former senior government officials and military officers, said it would give the new Cabinet 100 days to prove itself.

National Front chairman Kemal Idris called on students and the general public not to be prejudiced in their assessment of the new government.

"It is wiser for all sides to give the Cabinet 100 days to work so that we can see whether they can achieve progress or not," he said during a discussion here on Thursday.

"Barnas will press the President to reshuffle his Cabinet if ministers prove unable to make progress in their jobs," the retired lieutenant general said.

Separately, political observer Eep Syaifulloh called for patience, noting that the People's Consultative Assembly could demand a Cabinet reshuffle during its scheduled annual General Session if ministers performed unsatisfactorily.

"Besides, the President has his own reasons and it is his prerogative to appoint his aides, including ministers," he said at a seminar commemorating the Youth Pledge.

Criticism of the Cabinet selected by President Abdurrahman Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur, also came from Mas Achmad Santoso, executive director of the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, who particularly lamented the choice of Soni Keraf as state minister of environment.

"Before the Cabinet was formed, we sent a recommendation to the President about the criteria and the environmental background required to resolve serious environmental and natural resource problems," he said, adding that Soni had little background in environmental matters.

"He is not qualified to solve complicated and critical problems involving the environment and natural resources," he said.

Meanwhile, a positive note came from United States Ambassador to Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard, who said the new Cabinet would receive the full support of the U.S. government.

"Last night President Clinton telephoned President Gus Dur and they had an excellent conversation, and he congratulated him and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri," Gelbard said.

Gelbard said Kwik Kian Gie, Marzuki Darusman and Laksamana Sukardi were world class in their fields.

Gelbard also praised Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab, whom he described as a sophisticated, knowledgeable and highly intelligent man.

"He will be a super foreign minister," he added.

The appointments of Juwono Sudarsono as minister of defense and Adm. Widodo as Indonesian Military chief were also praised by the ambassador.

In Surabaya, the capital of East Java, around 200 students staged a demonstration in front of the governor's office to demand the President withdraw active military personnel from the Cabinet.

The spokesman for the protesters, Muzakir, said the demonstration was held to raise people's awareness of the reform movement and the government.

"We also give the government 100 days to prove its commitment to the reform movement and to solve numerous problems relating to the economic and political crises," he said. (04/02/nur/rms)