JP/5/Riswandha

JP/5/Riswandha
Megawati juggles need for professionals, appeasing opponents

Lecturer in politics Riswandha Imawan of the Gadjah Mada
University in Yogyakarta looks at the result of what he says is a
careful balance in the new, "transitional" Cabinet composition.

Question: How do you view the Cabinet lineup?

Answer: It clearly shows President Megawati Soekarnoputri's
careful effort to place figures that pose a low threat of
resistance from among the public.

The structure is not that different from the Cabinets of
former president Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur); it's not slimmer.
Megawati seems to be avoiding confrontation. She wants to embrace
all political groupings. She also seems to realize that she
doesn't have much time to realize her Cabinet's program.
Therefore, she seems to regard her Cabinet as a transitional one.

That she picked figures of various backgrounds also shows that
she's avoiding many people getting annoyed. The appointment of
Faisal Tamin (former chairman of the Association of Indonesian
Civil Servants KORPRI) as State Minister of Administrative
Reform, Ali Marwan Hanan (of the United Development Party, PPP,
the largest faction in Muslim-oriented axis force) in charge of
cooperatives, and Bachtiar Chamsah (of PPP) as Minister of Social
Affairs are examples.

Yet, she did not assign them for key positions. She realizes
very well that the ministers in charge of cooperatives or social
affairs won't directly affect the heart of her leadership as well
as the core of the political dynamics. Therefore, she picked only
professionals for key positions.

Key positions are those directly related to the core tasks of
the Cabinet, which include economic recovery, restoring security,
handling the threat of disintegration and upholding supremacy of
the law.

The appointment of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyno as Coordinating
Minister for Politics, Social and Security Affairs is an example.
Indeed he's a (retired) military officer, yet he's an
intellectual in uniform. He knows very well the concepts of
politics, social and security affairs. The appointment of
Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-jakti as Coordinating Minister for the
Economy is another example ...

What about the appointment of Yusuf Kalla as the Coordinating
Minister for People's Welfare?

I wonder why Megawati picked him, especially considering his
background as a businessman as well as former minister of
industry and trade, whose orientation was profit. Now he must
switch his orientation to a non-profit one.

The assignment of Matori Abdul Djalil as defense minister also
could be a problem in the future. Megawati's not just
demonstrating her gratitude to Matori, but has also considered
what was repeatedly said by former defense minister Mahfud M.D.,
that Gus Dur's has said the position should be for civilians.
This way, Megawati wants to avoid the resistance that would ensue
if the position was given to a military officer.

But by choosing Matori Megawati will need more time to
reconcile with Gus Dur's supporters -- Matori has also become a
problem for them. Moreover, people can also see ... that the
appointment was based mostly on the close friendship (between
Megawati and Matori).

Likewise the appointment of Said Agil Munawar as Minister of
Religious Affairs. He was the one who said we could have a woman
as president during the controversy regarding a woman president.
I fear she's just showing gratitude.

Could such considerations for choosing ministers harm the
Cabinet's performance?

I prefer to say, "no". The position as, say, defense
minister, does not directly influence the heart of political
dynamics here. The key position is the military commander. So I
can only conclude that the Cabinet formation was based firstly on
professionalism, second, balance of political power, third,
balance of regional power and fourth, in return for services
rendered.

And the impact on the Cabinet's overall performance?

As long as professionals are in key positions, it will not
have a bad impact. Budiono (Minister of Finance) and Rini M.
Suwandi (Minister of Industry and Trade) are both experts in
those fields. Purnomo Yusgiantoro (Minister of Mining and Energy)
has expertise in management and mining ... For education, we have
Malik Fajar in charge of education ... The outstanding
development of universities under Muhammadiyah (second largest
Islamic organization of which Malik is an executive) is proof of
his great work. He has a clear vision on how education should be
developed. His reputation as a rector, too (of one of the
Muhammadiyah universities ) is very good.

What is annoying is the appointment of Bambang Kesowo as State
and Cabinet Secretary. I cannot understand why Megawati decided
so, especially given people's suspicion that Bambang still holds
the New Order mentality. Combining the two positions could only
result in power centralization, which could again make the
presidency a sacred institution.

Also of annoyance is the appointment of (former legislator
from the military faction) Hari Sabarno as Minister of Home
Affairs and Regional Autonomy. He has no track record in the
field. Megawati will need more time to learn about the
ministry ...

What about the new State Ministry of Communication and
Information?

It will certainly receive strong reactions, especially from
the press. So an explanation is needed on what it deals with ...

Yet, overall the new Cabinet lineup is market friendly,
especially with Kwik Kian Gie (Minister of National
Planning/Chairman of National Planning Development Board) and
Laksamana Sukardi (State Minister for State Enterprises) in it.
The world sees them as reliable sources for economic analysis on
Indonesia. But regarding Kwik, if everything is decentralized and
the Development Board is not as it was before, Kwik's expertise
will not be fully utilized there. (Sri Wahyuni)