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)