Experts greet new cabinet with mixed sentiments

Experts greet new cabinet with mixed sentiments

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's choice of aides in the new
cabinet yesterday prompted mixed sentiments, with some observers
optimistic and others expressing doubts over the new cabinets
ability to deal with the deepening economic crisis.

Observers Miriam Budiardjo, Muhammad Budhyatna, Sardjono
Jatiman, Amien Rais, Adi Sasono, former environment minister
Sarwono Kusumaatmadja and university students were among the many
people who voiced opinion on the new cabinet.

Miriam Budiardjo, a respected professor of politics at the
University of Indonesia, said she was hopeful that the new
cabinet would be able to solve the economic crisis. However, her
confidence was "not 100 percent".

"It's a crisis of confidence in the economy, the monetary
system and the government. While the new ministers have not yet
done anything wrong, we must remain confident in their ability,"
she said.

Budiardjo pins her hopes on "powerful figures" in the cabinet,
such as Minister of Social Services Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.

"These new ministers, we hope they do their utmost to make
improve their offices performance," she said.

President Soeharto retained 12 ministers from the previous
cabinet and introduced 24 new faces, including his daughter
Hardiyanti (better known as Mbak Tutut), one of three females in
the new cabinet.

Controversial appointments include business tycoon Mohamad
(Bob) Hasan, the new Minister of Industry and Trade, and Tanri
Abeng, appointed State Minister for the Empowerment of State
Enterprises.

Miriam, who is also a member of the National Commission on
Human Rights, said the new government should be given at least
"one year" to prove their ability.

"Government wheels always turn slowly, as we know, but if it
fails to perform well, we will never see an end to this crisis,"
she said.

Sarwono and Adi Sasono, secretary-general of the influential
Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI), were
guarded with their opinions.

"I don't want to comment on the new cabinet now, let's just
wait and see the response from the public and the market," said
Sarwono.

"I am just glad that my successor (Juwono Sudarsono) is a
person whose integrity and quality I know well. He is a good
person. He is also my cousin," Sarwono said.

Adi said: "I think we have to give the new cabinet an
opportunity to solve the monetary crisis and other state
problems."

The new ministers must make efforts to provide adequate
supplies of basic commodities at affordable prices, he added.

Adi also said that stabilizing the volatile rupiah should be
one of the new cabinet's top priorities.

"Recruiting businessmen Mohamad Hasan and Tanri Abeng into the
cabinet indicates that the government is trying to mobilize funds
from the private sector to compensate for its own limited
financial resources.

"Their presence in the cabinet can be expected to restore
popular confidence in the government," he added.

University of Indonesia's sociologist Sardjono Jatiman said
that the new ministers should receive criticism openly and strive
to uphold the law.

"People are becoming more critical of bad policies. Ministers
must have the courage to accept criticism," Antara quoted him as
saying Saturday.

The new ministers should have the courage to refuse to engage
in any maneuvers which run counter to the law and to reject
pressure from powerful figures, he said.

Budhyatna, also of the University of Indonesia, shared
Sardjono's opinion. He said the new cabinet ministers must win
back popular confidence by clamping down on collusive practices,
corruption, nepotism and monopolies.

"We already have an anti-corruption law, the next step will be
to enforce it so that we can eradicate corruption," he said.

Doubt

Moslem leader Amien Rais was cautious over the new cabinet.
The chairman of the 28 million-strong Muhammadiyah Moslem
organization said people should be neither pessimistic or
optimistic.

"We need not to be too optimistic because the new cabinet's
political bearing is no better than their predecessors," he told
reporters in Bandung, West Java, yesterday.

Amien pointed to the appointment of Hardiyanti, saying: "How
can it be that the father is the president, while the daughter is
a cabinet minister? That is a very clear sign of nepotism."

"There are thousands of capable people. Tutut...is not
extraordinary," he added. "She can dream about inheriting the
presidency after five years, but that is impossible. It will
never happen."

He pointed out that the appointment of Bob Hasan, Soeharto's
golfing and fishing companion and a trusted business advisor,
will only lead people to believe that collusive practices will
continue to flourish in the country.

Meanwhile, hundreds of students of Gadjah Mada University in
Yogyakarta and the Soedirman University in Purwokerto, Central
Java, protested the new cabinet line up in separate
demonstrations Saturday.

In Jakarta, University of Indonesia students said yesterday
that they would set up a "Commission for the Assessment of the
Cabinet's Performance" and monitor the new cabinet's performance.

In a statement made available to the press yesterday, the
students reminded that they had been demanding for a new cabinet
who was ready and willing to launch reform. They also demanded
only credible, honest people be chosen for the cabinet.

"In order to make sure that our demands be met, we have set up
the commission (to monitor the cabinet)," the students said.
(45/43/23/byg/imn/aan)