Latief explains brief for new ministry

JAKARTA (JP): New Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Abdul Latief has dismissed suggestions that his office's function would overlap with that of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

After meeting with President Soeharto at the Bina Graha presidential office yesterday, Latief said his ministry would be in charge of "the creation of arts and culture" while the education ministry -- under Wiranto Arismunandar -- would handle "the science and philosophy of arts and culture".

"It's according to Bapak President's briefing," he said.

Soeharto appointed Latief to the post last weekend, replacing Joop Ave, who was formerly in charge of the ministry previously designated to oversee tourist, postal and telecommunication activities.

Latief was the minister of manpower in the last cabinet.

He said Soeharto told him to coordinate with other existing and related government institutions to improve the country's tourism through, among other things, the promotion of its arts and culture.

"Of course, this will also include (the promotion of) our country's beautiful scenery and delicious food," he said.

He said he would coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs on ways provincial governments could capitalize from their local arts and culture.

Latief's office now oversees museums, previously supervised by the Ministry of Education.

He also announced that the two state-owned companies for post and telecommunications formerly grouped with supervision of tourism -- PT Pos Indonesia and PT Telkom -- would be managed by the newly established State Ministry for the Empowerment of State Enterprises under Tanri Abeng.

When he announced the 1998/2003 cabinet lineup Saturday, Soeharto also introduced some structural changes in his administration.

The Ministry of Forestry, for instance, now handles the plantation sector, which in the past came under the Ministry of Agriculture. Two new state ministers were created: one for the empowerment of state enterprises, and another for food, drugs and horticulture.

The post of state minister for state administrative reform is now combined with the coordinating minister for development supervision.

The coordinating minister of people's welfare and poverty eradication/chairman of the national family planning board was formerly just the coordinating minister of people's welfare.

Some observers have perceived some overlaps in a few of the restructured ministries' authority.

Latief tried to explain away some of the ambiguities yesterday.

The Ministry of Education and Culture's director general of culture, Edi Sedyawati, said yesterday that cultural affairs under the tourism ministry should not necessarily be considered as overlapping with those of her ministry.

"The most important thing is the ability to coordinate and present a clear job description. Without these, everything will be in a mess. But no matter how the structure is, if there's that ability to coordinate, everything will be just fine," she said. (prb/aan)