Delay in Cabinet announcement gets mixed response

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)