Gus Dur refuses to budge on closure of ministries

Gus Dur refuses to budge on closure of ministries

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid was firm in
maintaining his ground on Thursday in closing the information and
social services ministries, even as eight out of 10 factions at
the House of Representatives (DPR) called for a policy reversal
or review.

"The House members' opinions to have the two ministries
revived were good. Nevertheless, it (the decision) has happened.
It's too late," the President said during an unprecedented policy
debate with the House.

The House members appeared to be on a completely different
wavelength as Abdurrahman argued his case from a philosophical
standpoint for a reduced government role and for more public
initiatives.

"As long as we continue to have a Ministry of Information the
public and government will not be able to walk hand in hand
because the government holds more power in its hands. On the
other hand, the presence of the Ministry of Social Services will
hinder the public from assuming their social responsibilities,"
he said.

Responding to an appeal that the Ministry of Information be
spared the axe because of its historical contribution to the
country's independence struggle, Abdurrahman had this to say:
"The Ministry of Information has not only fibbed to us, but it
has fibbed to all the people."

The ministry was a propaganda tool during the 32 years of
president Soeharto's regime.

Abdurrahman was summoned by the DPR to explain his decision to
close down the two ministries under a new rule that allows the
House to request the head of state account for his or her
policies.

The President not only met the challenge laid down by the DPR,
he also offered to meet with the House members more frequently to
discuss various policies.

"A meeting every two months is not enough. It is better to
conduct a meeting every month or even twice a month," he said.

The three-and-a-half-hour plenary session attended by 292 of
the 490 House members was a noisy affair, with plenty of
interruptions from House members, and laughter as the President
cracked jokes.

Abdurrahman also made many controversial remarks, which were
met by cheers and boos from House members and observers in the
balcony.

Some of the uproar came from the 200 employees of the closed
ministries who watched the proceedings from the balcony.

Abdurrahman's impaired vision prevented him from reading a
written response to the DPR. Instead, he provided an off-the-cuff
explanation of the background behind his controversial decision.

The President said the House members should have addressed the
question to Speaker Akbar Tandjung, who was involved in the
deliberation to form the Cabinet last month when the decision to
liquidate the two ministries was taken.

He said the closures were part of the administration's drive
to streamline the Cabinet and to delegate more power and tasks to
regional administrations as mandated in the new regional autonomy
law.

Abdurrahman reassured the displaced government employees that
their future had not been forgotten, saying they would be
accommodated in other government agencies in Jakarta or the
regions.

Many of the displaced government workers were angered by his
explanations and blocked the President's limousine as he tried to
leave the House's building. The car eventually left through the
back gate of the complex.

The President made the bold remarks despite a demand from
eight factions that he review or reverse the decision.

Some argued that the abolition of the two ministries violated
the Constitution and existing laws. Others said the two
ministries continued to serve vital functions in society.

Still others questioned whether the abolition would lead to
greater efficiency when the new government had at the same time
established a new Ministry of Maritime Exploration and a few
offices of state ministers in his Cabinet.

Many also made arguments for the fate of the 76,000 displaced
workers.

Sophan Sophiaan from the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle faction (PDI Perjuangan) said the Ministry of
Information was necessary to disseminate information to people in
remote areas.

Yasril Ananta Baharuddin from the Golkar Party said both
ministries should be retained for the sake of the employees and
their families.

Moh. Hatta Taliwang of the Reform Faction said the closure
would have do more bad than good.

He said the link with the regional autonomy law was irrelevant
because full implementation of the legislation would not happen
in the next five years.

One of the two supportive statements came from his own
National Awakening Party (PKB), which defended the abolition of
the ministries.

"The action bodes well for the modernization of Indonesia,"
PKB's Effendy Choirie said, adding that in a democratic country,
the centralization of information could not be sustained.

The Indonesian Military/National Police faction did not adopt
a position in the debate, but requested more details on how the
government planned to transfer the displaced employees. (02/emb)