Hundreds line up for cabinet posts
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Bogor
Hundreds of people have sent letters to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asking to be appointed as Cabinet ministers in the next government, prompting the retired four-star Army general to set up a team to sort out the applications.
Suratto Siswodihardjo, a former one-star Air Force officer who served as a member of Susilo's campaign team, said on Wednesday that the letters were sent directly to Susilo's residence in Cikeas, West Java.
"One day after Pak Susilo said that he would form a Cabinet that accommodates people's interests, hundreds of letters have come in either to propose names to fill certain ministerial posts or to apply directly for such posts," Suratto said.
"Pak Susilo has set up a team to sort through the letters and come up with candidates that meet the requirements. But in the end, it is Pak Susilo who will have the final say," Suratto said, adding that Susilo would consult his running mate, Jusuf Kalla, before deciding on ministerial appointments.
The letters were still flooding into Susilo's house on Wednesday, and, according to Suratto, the pile had already reached one meter in height.
Suratto said that the team tasked with sorting through the letters would likely discard those from people whose names were not familiar to the public.
"Several non-governmental organizations have proposed Pak Muladi as one of Pak Susilo's Cabinet ministers," said Suratto, referring to a former minister in the administration of president B.J. Habibie.
Asked whether Susilo would consider him Muladi for a Cabinet post, Suratto said: "It is his, and Pak Kalla's, prerogative."
Susilo has emerged as the clear winner of the country's first ever direct presidential election. With over 110 million ballots already counted by Wednesday evening, Susilo and running mate Kalla had gained 60.8 percent of the vote, compared to Megawati Soekarnoputri and running mate Hasyim Muzadi's 39.1 percent.
Over 153 million people were registered to vote in the Sept. 20 election runoff, but only around 125 million people are believed to have actually cast their ballots. The General Elections Commission will announce the official result on Oct. 5.
Susilo has always said that he would not announce his Cabinet lineup until he was sworn in on Oct. 20.
Susilo, who resigned from Megawati's administration in March to run in the presidential election, was nominated by the Democratic Party, the Crescent Star Party and the Indonesian Unity and Justice Party and, according to party sources, the three parties had been promised two ministerial posts each should Susilo win the election.
The Prosperous Justice Party, which threw its support behind the Susilo-Kalla ticket in the second round of the election on Sept. 20, is slated to get one Cabinet post.
Kalla said recently that professionals would fill 60 percent of Cabinet posts, with the rest going to political parties. Suratto confirmed this on Wednesday.
"Several politicians will be accommodated in the Cabinet provide they meet the requirements, including moral integrity and competence," Suratto said.
Meanwhile, Susilo -- who has been busy receiving thousands of people wishing to congratulate him on his election victory, said on Wednesday that he would soon start defining the programs and concepts of his administration.
"I have asked my people to give me room and time to do so, and to allow me to end this open-house arrangement on Friday," Susilo said.