Joedono removed in cabinet reshuffle
Joedono removed in cabinet reshuffle
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto in an unprecedented move yesterday reshuffled his cabinet, merging the industry and trade ministries into one, and leaving trade minister Satrio Budiardjo Joedono without a job.
Under the reshuffle, which was announced by Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono in his office yesterday afternoon, all the other ministers of the Sixth Development Cabinet, formed in March 1993, retained their posts.
Tunky Ariwibowo, the previous industry minister, has taken the expanded portfolio of minister of trade and industry, a move that enjoins the two previous ministries into one agency modeled on the Japanese' Ministry of International Trade and Industry, more popularly known as MITI.
The other change was over the title of coordinating minister of industry and trade, held by Hartarto. His title has been changed to Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution.
This is the first time that President Soeharto has removed a cabinet minister half way through the cabinet's five-year term. In previous five cabinets, changes were only made at the end of the term, or when a minister died.
"The decision was taken after President Soeharto conducted his subuh (dawn) prayer this morning," Moerdiono told reporters.
He declined to call the changes a reshuffle. "The President did not use the term cabinet reshuffle. He called it a regrouping of the cabinet."
There will be no swearing in of the officials either because the two ministers affected by the changes, Hartarto and Tunky, have already been sworn in as ministers in 1993. "There is no need for that."
"The new structure, the new positions, the new titles come into force today," Moerdiono said, adding that with regards to the displaced Joedono, the President is considering appointing him to an ambassadorial post in Europe.
Moerdiono explained that the President had been thinking about changing the cabinet for the past few months in view of the development of the local economy as well as the world economy over the last two years.
He underlined the opportunities that are being offered by these recent developments. "These economic opportunities can be tapped to the full and in timely manner if we can enhance coordination, integration, synchronization and simplification in the government," he said.
He said domestic and international trade sectors must be geared to support Indonesia's industrial sector, which is regarded as the "prime engine" of national development in terms of job creation and export potential.
"Recently, we have felt the urgency to step up our non-oil exports and the industrial sector is the motor for our economic development," he said.
With the changes, there are still four coordinating ministers in the cabinet: one for the economy, finance and development supervision, one for production and distribution, one for political and security affairs and one for people's welfare.
Each of these coordinating ministers supervise the activities of ministers under their charge.
While the coordinating minister for the economy and finance looks after the macro-economic aspects, the coordinating minister of production and distribution takes care of the micro-economic aspects.
"Experience has shown that macro economic policies and micro economic policies are equally important. They have to support one another," Moerdiono said.
He added tongue-in-cheek that the planned changes were kept tightly under lids until the announcement yesterday. "I'm happy, this time there were no leaks." (team)