Gus Dur pours cold water on Cabinet reshuffle rumors

Gus Dur pours cold water on Cabinet reshuffle rumors

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid belied expectations
of a Cabinet reshuffle, saying that he had not made any plans for
one.

"Rumors that I will replace many of my ministers in the near
future are not true, because we have many problems and it
(reshuffle) will only create new ones," Abdurrahman said at a
seminar on Monday at the University of Indonesia campus in Depok,
south of Jakarta.

Abdurrahman said he had not considered making a major overhaul
of the Cabinet as he felt it was best for the government to
concentrate more on solving the country's many problems.

He further said he would consider other means than a Cabinet
reshuffle.

It is unclear whether the statement was made to catch people
off guard as almost all top politicians have indicated an
impending Cabinet reshuffle in August just after the General
Session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

It is also unclear what the President perceives as a "Cabinet
reshuffle" in that it is thought he may regard it as a total
change of the Cabinet lineup.

His comments were in stark contrast to Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri, who, during a visit to Singapore on Monday,
expressed hope that the reshuffle would not take place before the
General Session of the Assembly, planned for the second week of
August.

Speaking to journalists at her suite at the Shangri-La Hotel,
Megawati emphasized that it was fully the President's prerogative
to decide such matters, "(but) of course, I assume that I will be
involved in that matter".

Megawati, who arrived for a three-day visit on Sunday, also
warned Indonesian political elites not to politicize the August
General Session to unsettle the government, stressing that the
purpose of the session is only to obtain the government's
progress report.

Megawati underwent a general checkup on Monday morning at Mt.
Elizabeth Hospital. She said she was satisfied with her health.

She met with Singapore President S.R. Nathan, Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong and Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew in the afternoon.

"You have a nice dress," Tong said when he first met with
Megawati.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, senior political figures also commented
on the likelihood of a reshuffle.

State Minister of Research and Technology A.S. Hikam said in a
discussion at The Jakarta Post office that the President had not
made up his mind whether to just reshuffle the Cabinet or conduct
an overhaul by streamlining it.

He also said the most important key is whether the political
climate will be more conducive as a result of the Cabinet
reshuffle.

Hikam said currently there were certain politicians who
continuously undermine the President by making erratic and
inconsistent statements.

Separately, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung
also stressed that it was fully the President's prerogative to
conduct a reshuffle. Nevertheless, he said he expects that if one
is carried out a more solid team should be resolved to tackle
problems, such as economic recovery, the security and threat of
disintegration.

"If Gus Dur says that he can handle those problems with the
current Cabinet, then that's fine and we'll leave it to him. We
won't interfere," Akbar said.

He underlined that widescale support for a Cabinet reshuffle
was a way to remind Abdurrahman that he had to deal with many
urgent problems and that he needs a more effective Cabinet
because so far there had been no significant progress in the
country. (dja/prb)