Dorodjatun denies rumor he will quit

The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti denied on Wednesday rumors which suggested that he had tendered his resignation to President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"That's not true. It's just a rumor," Dorodjatun was quoted as saying by Antara in Banda Aceh, where he was attending a military ceremony.

Rumors spread in the capital on Tuesday night about an impending resignation by Dorodjatun amidst speculations that he was not happy with the progress that the Cabinet was making.

Other speculation focused on general disillusionment among members of his economic team, which was widely dubbed the "dream team" when it was formed by Megawati in August.

The performance of the economic team led by Dorodjatun came under close scrutiny during the assessment of Megawati's first 100 days in office which fell on Nov. 1.

Dorodjatun said there was no reason whatsoever for him to resign, considering the current condition of the economy which required proper handling on every front.

He added however, that any normal person would feel intimidated by the massive economic challenge that Indonesia was facing.

"But don't forget, we have achieved a lot these last three months in terms of strategic measures to put the economy back on the recovery track," he said, citing as an example the government's decision to renew its contract with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) beyond 2002.

Antara said that rumors of his resignation began to circulate when the coordinating minister chose to fly to Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh, rather than attend a meeting with the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday.

"I left the meeting (with the IMF) because my presence in Aceh was also crucial," he said.