Delay in Cabinet announcement gets mixed response

JAKARTA (JP): President Megawati Soekarnoputri's failure to strike a deal with political party leaders on the new Cabinet line-up received mixed reactions from politicians on Thursday.

Due to the failure on the deal, the Cabinet announcement would likely be made by next Thursday at the latest.

Lt. Gen. Hari Sabarno, a deputy chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), appreciated Megawati's decision as it reflected her caution in forming her Cabinet. It is better to be a bit late, but to be certain so as to avoid negative results, he said.

Speaking after attending a meeting between party leaders and the President and Vice President, Hari revealed that the military would not propose any names because it was the President's prerogative to recruit professionals to fill positions in the Cabinet.

"The most important thing here is that the military fully supports the new government under the leadership of Megawati and Hamzah Haz," he said.

Rear Marshal Bachrum Rasir, a member of the Indonesian Military/National Police faction at the House of Representatives, called on Megawati not to feel obliged to recruit her ministers from political parties or the military.

"It is better for Megawati to set criteria before recruiting them, otherwise she will be confused if she has to consider all the names put forward by the political parties," he said.

Separately, caretaker minister of defense Mahfud MD told The Jakarta Post that the delay in announcing the new Cabinet line-up would affect the performance of the caretaker Cabinet whose ministers were still burdened with making decisions on urgent policies.

Mahfud, who is also the caretaker minister of justice and human rights, urged the political parties to respect the President's prerogative to appoint her ministers.

He said that the demand by certain political parties over certain posts in the Cabinet was acceptable as "they had a major role in bringing Megawati into the presidency."

"The parties were in consensus to oust Gus Dur (as former president Abdurrahman Wahid is known).

"But the parties must give freedom to Megawati, along with pak Hamzah Haz, to appoint her ministers," Mahfud said.

Mahfud said he heard Megawati had been angered during a meeting for the formation of the Cabinet because the political parties quarreled with one another over a certain Cabinet post.

"I heard that she (Megawati) said during the meeting that should they keep fighting, she would leave the Cabinet line-up to them," Mahfud said, remarking that if the struggle among parties persisted, it would only benefit the Indonesian Military (TNI) as it would enable it to dominate the Cabinet.

"If the political parties insist on being accommodated proportionally in the Cabinet in consideration of their role in ousting Gus Dur, I'm afraid the military, which had the most prominent role (in ousting Gus Dur), might control more than 50 percent of the Cabinet positions," Mahfud warned. (rms/tso)