House designates six ministries

House designates six ministries

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta

The House of Representatives' (DPR) committee discussing a bill
regulating the formation of cabinet ministries has agreed the
next president must be legally required to establish at least six
crucial ministries shortly after being sworn in.

The establishment of other ministries, outside the six, would
be the prerogative of the president, legislators said on Monday.

"The next president must form the six ministries. The
formation of other ministries will depend on the needs of the
government," said Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, deputy chairman of the
House committee discussing the bill.

The six ministries are the Ministry of Home Affairs, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the
Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the
Ministry of Legislation.

Three ministries -- the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense -- are considered
important because they will form a triumvirate that will take
over power if the president and the vice president can't
discharge their state duties.

As for the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Religious
Affairs and the Ministry of Legislation, they must be set up
because finance, religion, and legislation were the
responsibility of central government, the committee said. The
newly named Ministry of Legislation would take over some of the
roles of the current Ministry of Justice.

Committee member Effendy Choirie said the bill would not
specify the names of other ministries but would only mention the
general "fields of affairs".

"The names of other ministries will be the prerogative of the
president depending on the issues the ministry is accountable
for. The president can form a ministry that is responsible for
one specific area of government or a combination of two or three
areas," he said.

Choirie, a legislator from the National Awakening Party (PKB),
said he would propose the creation of deputy ministries for the
Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the
Ministry of Defense.

Choirie said the Ministry of Defense currently failed to
perform well because Minister for Defense Matori Abdul Djalil had
been sick since September last year.

Commenting on the controversy about the alleged plan to revive
the Ministry of Information, he said there was no plan to revive
the same kind of ministry blamed for the repression of press
freedom during former president Soeharto's rule.

He said some legislators had proposed the formation of a
Ministry of Telecommunications and Internet-based Information
known as telematika.

The state had set up the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission
(KPI) and the Press Council to handle broadcasting and print
media affairs respectively, he said.

"There is no need to have a Ministry of Information," Choirie
said.