Gus Dur, Megawati face first test

Gus Dur, Megawati face first test

JAKARTA (JP): The first test of the credibility of the new
government in solving the multi-faceted crisis is how acceptable
the new Cabinet will be to the various political factions and the
market (people), analysts here noted on Friday.

They agreed that the country's first ever democratic election
in almost 45 years has given the newly elected President
Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid and Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri a legitimacy.

"But Gus Dur and Megawati are facing constraints in forming
their Cabinet," said Hasyim Wahid, a younger brother of the
President at a discussion gathering.

He said that Abdurrahman and Megawati were facing the delicate
process of balancing the imperative need for a clean and
professional working team that reflects a complete break from the
past corrupt government with the payment of political debts to
supporting political parties.

Hasyim, who's also a senior official of Megawati's Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), said that
Abdurrahman would also take into consideration the interests of
other groups outside the mainstream political forces such as
religious and ethnic groupings.

"Hence, the end result may be a Cabinet which looks strange,"
he said.

Abdurrahman was elected on Wednesday by the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) as the country's fourth president,
replacing B.J. Habibie.

Gus Dur, an influential and moderate Muslim leader, was
nominated by the so-called "axis force" grouping of Muslim-
oriented political parties for what they called a middle-of-the-
road candidate to defuse potential national conflict resulting
from the fierce competition between Megawati and Habibie.

The populist Megawati, whose PDI Perjuangan topped the polls
in the June parliamentary election with about 34 percent of the
votes, was elected to the second top post on Thursday presumably
with substantial support from Golkar and the National Awakening
Party.

Observers agreed that the Gus Dur-Megawati duet would restore
social and political stability to the country and could go a long
way in neutralizing threats of national disintegration.

International donors as well as financial markets also have
reacted positively to the democratic election of the two leaders.

Todung Mulya Lubis, a legal expert and human rights activist,
said that the Gus Dur-Megawati team was not a perfect
combination.

"Though both are solidarity makers, neither has any track
record in government," Todung noted.

Todung said that a cabinet consisting of professional people
not affiliated to any political parties would help buttress its
integrity and competence in solving the crises.

Hasyim concurred, saying "I am afraid of a national
administration disaster if this (Cabinet problem) is not resolved
satisfactorily."

Teten Masduki of Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) suggested
several main factors which are crucial for the upcoming Cabinet
to gain public trust.

Teten said that Cabinet members should not include any people
from either the former Soeharto or Habibie administrations
because they were part and parcel of the corrupt system.

"And the new government must quickly clean up the corrupt
judicial system if it's really serious about upholding the
supremacy of the law," he said.

Todung agreed. "If the Cabinet still includes those tainted by
corruption baggage from the previous administration, that will be
a major failure."

Abdurrahman invited on Friday several independent economists
and former top officials of the Soeharto administration to the
State Palace to discuss plans to form a national economic council
to advise the President.

Among those attending the meeting were former finance minister
Fuad Bawazier and former minister of cooperatives and small scale
businesses Subiakto Tjakrawerdaya, both closely associated with
Soeharto's children.

Noted economist of the University of Indonesia Sri Mulyani
said that the President had not yet decided on who would be
appointed to the council.

Mulyani admitted that it's tough for Gus Dur to form the
Cabinet because it's difficult for him not to return the "favor"
to those who helped him ascend into the No. 1 post.

"I think we should all be realistic. The people want a perfect
cabinet, but we have limitations," she said, adding that
Abdurrahman had said that he would also consult Amien Rais, the
MPR speaker who played a central role in the Axis Force, in
forming the cabinet.

Nurcholish Madjid, a Moslem intellectual and a close friend of
Abdurrahman, said that one way to lessen his psychological burden
in forming the Cabinet could be by selecting candidates through
direct consultations with the House of Representatives (DPR).

He added that disclosing the wealth of the candidates could
help build up the integrity of the selection process right from
the outset.

Nurcholish was optimistic that Abdurrahman would listen to the
aspirations of the people.

"There will be a ray of hope arising from Gus Dur's weakness
which is his surprising nature. Gus Dur is an unpredictable
character," he said.

The President's younger brother agreed."Gus Dur will fight for
the values he believes in, although he will not force them if he
thinks the precondition is not yet there." (rei)