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)