Megawati set to take charge

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid, who has been widely criticized in recent days for the management of his government, agreed on Wednesday night to hand over the day-to-day running of his administration to Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The announcement, made before the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), virtually closed an ongoing debate over whether the President should appoint a first minister, or delegate more of his tasks and responsibilities to the Vice President.

Gus Dur, as the President is popularly called, told a plenary MPR meeting that he "fully understood" the demands by some MPR factions to change the way the government was being managed.

"That is why I will delegate to the Vice President the tasks of carrying out the day-to-day technical details of running the government, preparing the Cabinet's working agenda and determining the focus and priority of the government," he said to large applause from the floor.

The arrangement remains consistent with the presidential system of government as regulated by the 1945 Constitution with the vice president accountable to the president, he said.

"The Vice President will report to me periodically, or whenever it is necessary," he said.

The President's loose style of management -- or lack of it, as some critics have had it -- was widely attacked by almost all the MPR factions during the Annual Session which began on Monday. Others attributed his problems to his physical condition, which includes impaired vision.

In reviewing his first 10 months in office, the factions said many of the current problems facing Indonesia were caused by the poor management of the government.

The factions stopped short of calling for his resignation, but various political parties in the past weeks have been lobbying for changes. One option widely debated was to appoint a first minister; another was to let Megawati take over some of the tasks of the President. Gus Dur settled for the second on Wednesday.

Megawati, the daughter of Indonesia's first president Sukarno, lost her bid for the presidential election in October to Gus Dur although her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) won the most seats in the general election in June 1999.

Cabinet

Gus Dur also disclosed a plan to "restructure", rather than reshuffle his Cabinet, meaning not only replacing ministers, but also merging many of the ministries so that he would only need a small Cabinet to assist his work.

This decision was also made in response to "constructive inputs" from many of the MPR factions, he said.

"Through a reshuffle, there will be a solid and professional team that should strengthen the performance of the government," he said.

The restructuring was a consequence of decentralization measures that have given greater autonomy to regional administrations, he said in his speech read by Cabinet Secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak.

"This opens the way for streamlining the central government bureaucracy by merging ministries that have overlapping functions.

"We hope this restructurization will simplify the central governments organization in line with its more limited authority and therefore become more efficient and effective."

Reaction from MPR members to the announcement of a greater role for Megawati was largely positive, although some suggested that it be formalized in an MPR decree.

"Gus Dur realizes that he is physically handicapped (in leading the government). He is blind, so he cannot see or read," Meliono Suwondo of PDI Perjuangan told reporters after the speech.

Ade Komaruddin from Golkar said: "An MPR decree is needed to guarantee that the President does not change his mind."

Bachtiar Chamsah of the United Development Party (PPP) also said an MPR decree should explain details of the vice president's duties, including whether she has the right to select her own Cabinet.

"If the Vice President cannot select her Cabinet, it will be useless," Bachtiar said.

He recalled that former president Sukarno once delegated a lot of his authority to vice president Mohammad Hatta.

Earlier, Golkar Chairman Akbar Tandjung, who is also speaker of the House Representatives, said his faction would support a decree recommending the President delegate his power to the Vice President.

Postdam Hutasoit of the PDI Perjuangan faction also supported giving Megawati more of a role in government.

"The two figures have strong legitimacy," he said.

Political observer Pratikno of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta said although such an arrangement was not written in the 1945 Constitution, it was still acceptable.

Following Wednesday's announcement, speculation quickly focused on the lineup of the new Cabinet, expected to be picked largely from PDI Perjuangan, Golkar and the President's own National Awakening Party (PKB).

State Minister of the Empowerment of Women Khofifah Indar Parawansa said the Cabinet would still reflect the result of bargaining between political parties.

"We cannot ignore the political reality," Khofifah told reporters earlier on Wednesday.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Kwik Kian Gie said the President must take into account the support of major political parties as well as competence and professionalism when choosing his new Cabinet.

"Many people from the political parties are professional," he said.

Negotiations had began even before the President's announcement, sources said.

According to PKB sources, representatives of the PPP had approached PKB to ask for three Cabinet seats in return for toning down its criticisms against the President. (dja/prb/jun/rms//44)