Former ministers, critics cool on idea of cabinet reshuffle

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)