House, observers cool on reshuffle

House, observers cool on reshuffle

By Tertiani Simanjuntak & Ridwan M. Sijabat

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators and observers admitted to being
baffled by the President's sudden move to reshuffle the Cabinet,
contending that it would do little to cool sentiments or reduce
the likelihood of a special session of the People's Consultative
Assembly.

Some even suggested that the reshuffle was a preliminary move
to pave the way for President Abdurrahman Wahid to forcibly stop
the convening of the special session.

House deputy speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno marveled at
President Abdurrahman's audacity in reshuffling the Cabinet,
particularly the replacement of Coordinating Minister for
Political, Social and Security Affairs, given that the probable
lifespan of the administration was less than two months.

"I'm very confused. I can't understand the President's reasons
for replacing Susilo who is an important figure with a wide
perspective in the government.

"The reshuffle is an indication that the President is well and
truly panicked," Soetardjo told reporters here on Friday.

While the President has the prerogative to shuffle the
Cabinet, he remarked, the move would only give rise to more
controversy and worsen the political instability.

Soetardjo, a senior politician with the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), described the appointment of
Agum Gumelar to succeed Susilo as a wrongheaded decision.

"The problem is not Megawati but Gus Dur himself," he added.

Abdurrahman had said that Agum would be the right man to serve
as an interlocutor between the President and the Vice President.

Syamsul Muarif, chairman of the Golkar Party faction in the
House, brushed aside the political significance of the reshuffle.

"It will be of no significance as regards the government's
performance and will not enable the President to improve his
performance over the next two months," he said.

Asked to comment of the replacement of Attorney General
Marzuki Darusman, a key Golkar figure, Syamsul said his party had
no objection to the move.

"Gus Dur appointed Baharuddin Lopa to replace Marzuki in order
to intensify the handling of corruption cases. Golkar has no
objection to the President's move to prosecute those guilty of
corruption in the past but such action must be based on true
commitment and not political revenge."

"The President should not politicize the law to take revenge
against the House over its recent decision to call for a special
session," he added.

Syamsul further warned that the House would not stand for it
if the President in the near future decided to replace Indonesian
Military chief Adm. Widodo A.S. or National Police chief Gen.
Surojo Bimantoro.

Ali Marwan Hanan, chairman of the United Development Party
(PPP) faction, said the sudden reshuffle only served to weaken
the government and the President's position in facing the special
session.

"This reshuffle is regrettable. What the President needs to do
is not to reshuffle the Cabinet but to intensify his lobbying of
the major political parties if he wants to survive," he said.

Meanwhile, political and military observer Kusnanto Anggoro
from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
pointed out that the reshuffle had little significance as regards
the creation of an effective government or the creation of a
balance of power vis-a-vis the political parties.

"Nothing has changed with the new Cabinet because the various
posts have been filled by the same people. If it's meant to
create an effective government or to enhance security
capabilities, then this is not immediately apparent. Gus Dur has
reshuffled the cabinet because he doesn't have any other option,"
Kusnanto told The Jakarta Post.

Kusnanto also doubted Abdurrahman's premise that Agum could
play a mediating role between the President and the Vice
President.

"If Gus Dur wants to entice Mega into sharing power, I don't
think Agum will be able to help him out as Mega already holds
more bargaining chips than the President."

Kusnanto contended that what Abdurrahman should have done was
to solicit the participation of certain PDI Perjuangan officials
in the Cabinet.

Kusnanto suggested that if the current reshuffle were to be
ultimately unsuccessful, the President as a final resort would
issue a decree attempting to dissolve the House.

"The question is: Would it work? The answer is definitely not,
because no one else around him would accept his orders anymore."

Riswandha Imawan from the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada
University believed the reshuffle was a prelude to the issuance
of a decree restraining the convening of the special session, as
Susilo, the Cabinet's most senior minister, had openly rejected
the possibility of such a decree.

"The reshuffle has (also) destroyed international confidence
in our country as the government's credibility has been called
into serious question given that after its first two years in
office there are already 24 ex-ministers," he told the Post.