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.