Mega tells ministers to live up to responsibilities
Mega tells ministers to live up to responsibilities
JAKARTA (JP): Put aside personal interests and work together
hand-in-hand for the sake of the country was President Megawati
Soekarnoputri's message to "the country's best sons and
daughters" whom she assembled in the Gotong Royong Cabinet.
During her address at the swearing-in ceremony at the State
Palace, Megawati urged her ministers to take the name of the
Cabinet to heart.
"It's not just the name of the Cabinet, Gotong Royong is the
soul of Indonesia that should be sustained," the President said
in an off-the-cuff speech.
Gotong Royong is the age-old tradition of mutual assistance
commonly found in Indonesia's rural communities, where everyone
contributes to and benefits from a common goal.
"I have made my choice from among the country's best sons and
daughters, so I expect all my ministers to work hand-in-hand and
absolve their personal interests so that we can emerge from the
current crisis," the President said.
"I also hope that the public can support the government and
share our difficult tasks ahead. I am certain that, with the help
of the Indonesian people, we can return our country to earlier
days," the President said without elaborating what she meant by
"earlier days."
The 32-member rainbow Cabinet, announced by the President on
Thursday, finely balanced professional and political party
interests.
Market and public reaction to the lineup has generally been
positive, however the critical post of attorney general, which
was expected to be announced on Friday, was left pending without
explanation.
While she made no reference to the previous administration, it
was clear that Megawati was adamant on avoiding the repeated
mismanagement and reported incoherence of the previous government
under Abdurrahman Wahid.
During the drafting of the Cabinet, Megawati showed single-
mindedness in her selection, refusing to be courted by political
parties including her own Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle.
Megawati, during the ceremony, warned her team that they only
had three years to perform and would be immediately under the
scrutiny of a critical public eye.
Ceremony
Once a rarity, which only occurred every five years during the
Soeharto era, Friday's proceedings at the State Palace had become
a common occurrence due to the frequent replacement and
appointment of ministers by Abdurrahman.
The customary swearing-in ceremony saw the male Cabinet
members dressed in sober suits and female members wearing
traditional Kebayas as they lined up in accordance with their
respective faith.
Three of them -- Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources
Purnomo Yusgiantoro, State Minister for Eastern Indonesian
Development Manuel Kaisiepo and Minister of Manpower and
Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea -- are Catholic.
Bungaran Saragih is Protestant.
State Minister of Tourism and Culture I Gde Ardika is Hindu
while State Minister of National Development Planning/Bappenas
chief Kwik Kian is Buddhist.
The remaining 26 are Muslim.
There was also a brief pause and mild confusion when National
Intelligence Agency chief A.M. Hendropriyono was about to be
sworn in as the presidential decree on his appointment had been
misplaced.
It took about three minutes to find the misplaced document
before the presidential decree could be read out.
The solemnity of the ceremony was repeatedly interrupted by
mobile phones ringing as attending family members of the new
Cabinet members had apparently forgotten to turn off their
phones.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, Cabinet members and their
spouses walked to the Merdeka Palace terrace for the official
photograph with the President, her husband Taufik Kiemas, Vice
President Hamzah Haz and his first wife Ismaniah.(dja)