Gus Dur picks 26-member Cabinet

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid announced the formation of his new Cabinet on Wednesday, streamlining it from 35 to 26 members, and opting for fewer politicians than the previous Cabinet.

Gus Dur retained 18 people and recruited eight fresh faces into the Cabinet, which was formed after days of negotiations with Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

None of the key Cabinet posts, however, went to Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the country's largest political party, raising speculation of a rift between the President and Vice President.

Totally left out of the Cabinet is the Golkar Party, the second largest, which had warned of tough times for the President in passing his legislative agenda if it was excluded.

In contrast, smaller parties, including Abdurrahman's own National Awakening Party (PKB), are represented.

The new Cabinet comprises two coordinating ministers, 16 ministers heading departments, five state ministers and three junior ministers.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a "reformist" retired Army lieutenant general, was promoted to coordinating minister for political affairs, welfare and security, from minister of mines and energy.

Rizal Ramli, an economist and chairman of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), was the surprise choice to head the new economic team. He was selected as coordinating minister for the economy in preference over two other widely touted candidates, the incumbent Kwik Kian Gie of PDI Perjuangan, and Indonesia's ambassador to the United States, Dorodjatun Kuntorodjakti.

The President also announced that the attorney general, like the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief, would no longer be part of the Cabinet. That job is retained by Marzuki Darusman.

The Cabinet shake up was a concession the President gave after the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) this month criticized the performance of his first 10 months in office.

The President has also promised to delegate the day-to-day tasks of running the government to Megawati. A decree on this new arrangement has already been signed but not formally presented to the Vice President.

One of the biggest surprises in the new Cabinet was the appointment of Prijadi Praptosuhardjo, a banker by training, as minister of finance, in spite of having failed the fit-and-proper test by Bank Indonesia (the central bank) this year for the job of heading state Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).

That test looks into the character and past records of candidates to lead government banks.

Gus Dur personally vouched for his selection. "I know Prijadi very well. I have observed him for 16 years," he said after Cabinet Secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak read out the line up of the Cabinet at Merdeka Palace.

On the exclusion of Kwik, who was Megawati's choice to head the economic team, he said: "We cannot accommodate everyone. But in good time, we will give him a respectable place."

The President also believed that his Cabinet would enjoy the support of the House of Representatives.

"I wouldn't worry about that. The names were proposed by the United Development Party (PPP), Golkar and PDI Perjuangan. I won't disclose which minister comes from which party, but each one has the support of a political party," he said.

The President was visibly upset when asked whether the new Cabinet would be doomed like the last one for lacking in unity.

"The only people who say it lacked unity are you guys from the media. You lied and you believe in your own lies. I'm sorry if I sound blunt," he said.

The Cabinet announcement came earlier than originally expected, either on Thursday or Friday, signifying that negotiations with Megawati were concluded ahead of schedule.

The President convened a short Cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning to thank ministers for their service and later joined them for a last photo session.

There were no indications even then that the Cabinet would be announced a few hours later.

The new Cabinet will be sworn in on Saturday.

Wednesday's announcement was as much a reshuffle as well as a restructuring of the administration. The changes include:

* The elimination of the coordinating minister for people's welfare and poverty eradication.

* The elimination of the offices of state ministers of tourism and arts; regional autonomy; investment and state enterprises development; youth affairs and sports; public works; human rights; transmigration and population; and social affairs.

* The merger of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations into the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

* The establishment of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

* Some ministries were renamed to accommodate the elimination of the offices of state ministers. They include the Ministry of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy (previously Ministry of Home Affairs); Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (previously Ministry of Health); Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications (previously Ministry of Communications); Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration (previously Ministry of Manpower); Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (previously Ministry of Mines and Energy); Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (previously Ministry of Law and Legislation); and Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries (previously Ministry of Maritime Exploration).

* The reintroduction of three junior ministerial posts to promote specific government policies.

Gus Dur said the restructuring plan was largely the work of three ministers in the last Cabinet: Susilo Bambang, Ryaas Rasyid and Erna Witular. The three were also involved during the talks with Megawati in selecting the names.

The Cabinet has two fewer people from TNI compared to the one that was announced in October. The four former servicemen all served in the last Cabinet. Besides Susilo Bambang, there is Agum Gumelar (transportation and telecommunications), Surjadi Sudirdja (home affairs and regional autonomy) and Luhut B. Panjaitan (industry and trade).

In spite of Gus Dur's claim that all the ministers were recommended by political parties, only a few of them could be regarded as party activists.

They include Alwi Shihab (foreign affairs), Tolchah Hasan (religious affairs) and Khofifah Indar Parawansa (women's empowerment) from Gus Dur's PKB, Zarkasih Noer (cooperatives and small/medium enterprises) from the United Development Party (PPP), Yusril Ihza Mahendra (justice and human rights) from the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and Alhilal Hamdi (manpower and transmigration) from the National Mandate Party (PAN). (prb/byg/emb)