Job description of new cabinet announced
Job description of new cabinet announced
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto issued a decree yesterday
defining the positions, basic functions and organizational
structure of his 36-strong cabinet, in a bid to avoid overlapping
tasks.
Coordinating Minister for Development Supervision and State
Administrative Reforms Hartarto Sastrosoenarto said the President
had clarified all possible confusion and conflict caused by the
creation of some new posts in the 1998/2003 cabinet.
During the meeting he was accompanied by Minister/State
Secretary Saadilah Mursjid.
In his decree, the President outlined the job descriptions of
his four coordinating ministers, 20 ministers with portfolios, 10
state ministers and two officials of ministerial rank.
When he announced his new cabinet on March. 14, Soeharto
established several new posts: state minister of the empowerment
of state enterprises, state minister of food, drugs and
horticulture, and minister of tourism, arts and culture.
The Ministry of Tourism which formerly included post and
telecommunications has been separated from the latter two.
Tourism now has the added responsibility of arts and culture
while the lucrative directorate generals of post and
telecommunications were placed under the authority of the
Ministry of Transportation.
State Minister of the Empowerment of State Enterprises Tanri
Abeng takes over the directorate general for state-owned
companies which was formerly under the Ministry of Finance.
Tanri will be responsible for overseeing the country's 164
state companies.
But certain companies with a strong public service mission
will still have working relations with the technical ministers.
The ministry of transportation will continue supervising
Garuda Indonesia Airlines. The ministry of mines and energy will
still oversee the state-owned electricity company PLN.
The responsibilities of State Minister of Food, Drugs and
Horticulture Haryanto Dhanutirto will be to help other ministries
in issues revolving around the provision of food and medicines.
Other technical changes include the directorate general of
plantations which is now under the administration of the Ministry
of Forestry instead of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Feisal Tanjung received the additional task of supervising the
country's maritime affairs.
Hartarto himself was assigned the extra duty of supervising
development and to manage the country's four million civil
servants. "I am also asked to chair the National Advisory Body
for the Promotion of State Officials."
Both Hartarto and Saadilah could not hide their smiles when
explaining the tasks of Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture
Abdul Latief.
"There will be a directorate general for arts and culture
comprising of a directorate for the appreciation of stage
performances, and the appreciation of history," Hartarto said
with a chuckle. (prb)