Former ministers, critics cool on idea of cabinet reshuffle

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's decision to reshuffle his cabinet yesterday was received with indifference by former aides and critics.

Although there are still no details about how Soeharto would introduce changes or which ministers would be replaced, the critics have already said they were not impressed.

Interviewed on the sidelines of a meeting of proreform intellectuals and politicians at the University of Indonesia, former environment minister Sarwono Kusumaatmadja labeled Soeharto's announcement as a "tactical maneuver to buy time" in his attempts to restore people's trust in him.

"I am not impressed. The President has been in a very uncomfortable position so every decision he takes will be (perceived as) wrong," he told The Jakarta Post.

"Even if the President then announced a 'good new cabinet' (people would think) that he should have done it when he first announced his (current) list of aides in March," Sarwono said.

"Now, (the move) won't solve problems."

Sarwono said rather than "merely" reshuffling his cabinet, President Soeharto should just step down from his post.

"As a former aide of his, I will be sad and I pity him if he stays for his own interests because we already know that he's increasingly becoming part of the problem."

Other former aides of President Soeharto, namely former mines and energy minister Subroto and former minister of finance Frans Seda, also said they were not impressed with the reshuffle plan.

Subroto said: "Cabinet reshuffle, formally, means President Soeharto chooses again new ministers according to his tastes and preferences. So because of that I am not impressed at all."

"What we want is a new president, a new vice president, and a new cabinet lineup comprising members who are really, really clean and professional," Subroto told the Post.

Frans Seda was brief but to the point in his comment.

"It's too little too late," he said.

News of the cabinet reshuffle plan spread quickly among over 100 participants of yesterday's meeting. They all called for Soeharto to step down from the presidency after a 32-year rule.

Among prominent figures attending the meeting organized by a cooperating body of graduates of Indonesian universities (BKS- IKAPTISI) were retired military generals known collectively as Generation '45, a generation of freedom fighters.

Among them were former chief of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. (ret) Kemal Idris and former Jakarta governor Lt. Gen. (ret) Ali Sadikin.

When asked to comment, Kemal Idris said the President's move still posed a "big question mark" for him.

"Not so long ago he said he would be willing to step down, but later retracted his statement. So, let's see how this (remark of his) will turn out," he said.

However, even if a cabinet reshuffle really took place, Kemal agreed that it was Soeharto himself who should step down from the national leadership.

"People's sovereignty must be returned to the people whose freedom and rights have been torn apart all this time," the 75- year-old retired general said.

Yesterday, leading human rights campaigner Hendardi, who is also the director of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), expressed skepticism.

"I am not interested ... what I see is that it's just a series of moves, the fuel price cut, cabinet reshuffle, Trisakti shootings, which led to chaos (and they are part) of Soeharto's way of looking for a new legitimacy," Hendardi said. (aan)