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)