Is a first minister what govt needs?

Is a first minister what govt needs?

Amid the pros and cons to a suggestion for President
Abdurrahman Wahid's government to have a first minister, scholar
Arief Budiman of the Melbourne University does not think it is a
bad idea.

Question: You were among those who initially proposed the need
for Gus Dur's government to have a first minister. Why do you
think this is important?

Answer: This is about the recent situation in Indonesia. It
depends on the process of economic recovery. If the situation is
getting better, which depends on economic recovery, there is no
urgency to push the government to appoint a first minister.

The idea (of a first minister), was initiated after I saw
major steps back by Gus Dur (as Abdurrahman is popularly known).
He made a series of mistakes, starting with firing Laksamana
Sukardi and Jusuf Kalla from his Cabinet, followed by the Jawa
Pos (bullying of the press) and Gus Im (appointment of Gus Dur's
brother Hasyim Wahid as special expert to the Indonesian Bank
Restructuring Agency) incidents.

Gus Dur's statements with regard to the latter incidents
showed that he has really changed. He's no longer the Gus Dur I
know. The three incidents occurred just in a two-month period. If
there's another serious incident, we will have to really think
about a first minister.

What's happened to Gus Dur?

I can feel his steps back. My hypothesis is that he is now
unable to govern Indonesia anymore due to physical inadequacies.
Psychologically, vision impairment (Gus Dur is almost blind) will
erode one's confidence. His mind has gone off track. Many agree
he has changed.

With regard to Jawa Pos, regardless of who was right or wrong,
Gus Dur should have said that it was not right (to invade Jawa
Pos' editorial office). Many thought that he would condemn the
action. But he did not. He even accused the paper (of trying to
undermine his government). He is just like Soeharto. I don't
really know why he behaved like that. Perhaps he is too busy and
he does not have any experience as a President.

Then the Gus Im incident broke out. It could be true that Gus
Dur was not involved (in the appointment of Gus Im), but he
should have delivered a symbolical statement that he did not
agree (with the appointment).

He must realize that all of his close friends and relatives
are being approached by businesspeople. I really did not expect
that a man with such a caliber like Gus Dur could experience a
major setback.

So you support the first minister idea?

I have discussed the idea with a number of people. The idea is
good and it has a precedence from during the Sukarno government,
before the reinstitution of the 1945 Constitution, when Sukarno
was only a state symbol.

He handed over his authority to govern the country to a prime
minister. Now, because of his health, it would be much better for
Gus Dur to become a state symbol and hand over governing to a
first minister.

What is a first minister?

It means prime minister. Legitimately, there are two ways to
appoint a first minister. First, it's the President's
prerogative. Gus Dur, in this case, appoints someone and he can
still intervene.

There is no need to amend the 1945 Constitution, but the title
chosen must be first minister. Gus Dur, however, still retains
power. So we expect to see him having a sense of propriety.

Second, which is a better way, is for the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR), in its general session in August, to
issue a decree stipulating Gus Dur as a state symbol and appoint
a first minister. This is possible because the MPR is the
country's highest legislative body.

Why is the second option better?

This concerns Gus Dur. Based on the 1945 Constitution, the
President has the authority to appoint a first minister. But now,
people doubt Gus Dur's judgment. It has become risky to give Gus
Dur more power. He has changed.

The management prowess he had when he was leader of the
Nahdlatul Ulama seems to have disappeared. So, it will depend on
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Golkar and the Axis
Force (of Muslim-oriented political parties) on how to proceed.

What will the main barriers be?

Talking about a first minister roughly means planning to
topple Gus Dur, nothing else. All of them -- Megawati
Soekarnoputri, Akbar Tandjung and Amien Rais -- are ambitious.
They have to keep their personal ambitions in check.

Just think about the nation, then appoint someone outside of
politics who is intelligent, acceptable to most people and really
understands bureaucracy.

If the person is not capable, there can still be a successor,
but we must be consistence in implementing our economic and
political policies.

I agree with a theory that says Pakistan is the best model for
Indonesia, that when people get fed up with civil politicians'
clumsiness in handling the nation's dire problems, mainly the
economic turmoil, and fail in solving conflicts like those in
Ambon and Aceh, the military will be asked to take over power.

What about Megawati, Akbar Tandjung or Amien Rais as first
minister?

Amien is well known for his zigzagging political stance,
Megawati for her lackluster performance. Objectively speaking,
Akbar has the ability. He has the skill in bureaucracy and is
intelligent. But he is from Golkar. Most people and the students
would be very upset if Golkar returned to power.

Will we need a first minister afterward?

It would be better if we adapt a system in which a president
is only a symbol, like in India, Singapore, or kingdoms in
Britain, Japan and Malaysia. It would be good for a heterogeneous
nation like Indonesia. There is a kind of unification factor
here. In the current situation, Gus Dur can play a pivotal role
in that sense because so many groups accept him. (I. Christianto)