High-profile cases first: Mega
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President Megawati Soekarnoputri ordered her Cabinet members on Monday, including two coordinating ministers who plan to challenge her in the presidential election, to work more efficiently in settling major unresolved issues which can be used by her rivals to attack her in the presidential race.
As if teasing her potential rivals within the Cabinet, the President also ordered Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno to immediately issue campaign regulations for government officials, requiring them to resign from their position before campaigning.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Gen. (ret.) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has indicated his intention to run as a presidential candidate for the newly established Democratic Party (PD), cited the problems of poor law enforcement, the prolonged war in Aceh, terrorism and the division of the Papua -- which also has an active separatist movement -- into three provinces among the top priorities.
Other targets include the settlement of border issues with neighboring countries, and the security of the legislative elections in April, the first round of the presidential election in July, and a possible second round in September.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, one of Golkar's presidential candidates, has been tasked with reducing unemployment, eradicating poverty and reconstructing post- conflict areas.
"In the law enforcement field, the President specifically ordered that certain cases should be finished this year," Susilo said in a joint press conference with Jusuf and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-jakti after attending the Cabinet meeting.
Susilo refused to give details about which cases. He only said that the President would announce the list sometime this month. A reliable source close to Megawati however disclosed that the President clearly pointed her finger at the Rp 1.7 trillion (US$200 million) Bank BNI scam and the Rp 294 billion Bank BRI scandal. The corruption cases at the publicly listed state banks have worsened the government's tarnished image.
She also insisted upon bringing to justice all bad debtors who are still refusing to repay their debts to the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA).
"She did not mention any political cases and simply focused on the cases that related to her administration," the source, who also attended the meeting told ^YThe Jakarta Post^Y on the condition of anonymity.
Despite the President's determination, her ability to curb corruption, however has been questionable at best, as evidenced by the fact that she essentially absolved her chief law enforcers, Attorney General M.A. Rachman, who was accused of graft in trying to hide assets from the government's wealth audit commission. She has done very little in eradicating corruption. When the donors' group, the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) in its December meeting, criticized her poor record in enforcing law and corruption eradication, the President simply replied that the group was just too impatient.
According to Dorodjatun, the Cabinet was also ordered to prepare next year's state budget, although the Cabinet itself will end its term in October when the nation will have a new government.
Meanwhile, a senior presidential staff said that the President also ordered the submission of the draft on social security systems to the House of Representatives (DPR) on Jan. 15.
"She intended to have the social security system to be established during her term as required by the People's Consultative Assembly decree," the official said.