Latief explains brief for new ministry
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)