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)