Megawati set to take charge

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)