Mega wants obedience from subordinates

Mega wants obedience from subordinates

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri called on all government
officials and civil servants to carry out all her decisions and
not to hamper the implementation of government policies, a senior
government minister said on Monday.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Megawati expected all her
subordinates to conduct their duties as ordered by her.

"She warned anybody not to let any of her decisions be
hampered somewhere in the implementation," Susilo said after a
meeting attended by Megawati, Coordinating Minister of Economy
Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti and Coordinating Minister of Social
Welfare Jusuf Kalla.

"The president even underlined that 'if some of the officials
cannot work with us (the government), then they should not be a
part of us'," Susilo said, quoting Megawati.

The minister further said that Megawati also urged all state
officials to have a sense of crisis in their everyday lives as
the country was gripped by prolonged economic woes.

This is the second time Megawati has expressed her concern
about the bureaucracy, saying that sometimes as president she
could not have control over her subordinates.

Last week in front of the country's former freedom fighters,
she said that although she could control her ministers it was
difficult to supervise officials under the ministers.

Megawati, who became president in July, is new to bureaucracy,
as she was never involved in any government department after her
father -- former president Sukarno -- was replaced by former
president Soeharto.

Soeharto, who led the country for 32 years, had an established
bureaucracy system, including selected people in selected
positions, most of whom are still part of the current government.

Susilo said that the president had asked the three
coordinating ministers to hold meetings with her every Monday to
discuss the government's policies and implementation.

She used to have similar procedures when she was vice
president during the tenure of former president Abdurrahman
Wahid.

"The President underlined that if we cannot have better
measures in the upcoming year of 2002, then it will be impossible
for us to deal with the country's problems in 2004," Susilo said.

On his part, Susilo said that in 2002 his office would
continue to concentrate on efforts to resolve conflicts that
spread across the country and to enforce law and regulations.

The President demanded the two programs work well, he said.