MPs may seek Cabinet reshuffle

JAKARTA (JP): Despite the interpellation motion filed against him and the fact that he has been under constant criticism recently, legislators said here on Saturday that it is unlikely President Abdurrahman Wahid will be booted out of office during the August general session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

Legislators from three different parties said the most probable scenario would be a strong demand for Abdurrahman to strengthen the cabinet through another reshuffle.

"That is the safest scenario," said Heri Akhmadi of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) on Saturday.

Heri admitted that there may be a slim chance of urging Abdurrahman to step down from the presidency due to poor health. However this was somewhat unlikely, he remarked.

Golkar faction Chairman Syamsul Mu'arif maintained that such a drastic measure as impeachment was not yet necessary. However he maintained that the President does need to ensure that the performance of the cabinet improves.

"The structure of the cabinet is not effective. First of all, there are too many ministries whose areas overlap," he said.

If there is a Ministry of Home Affairs, he said, why should there be a State Minister of Regional Autonomy?

"There is the Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Settlement and Territorial Development and the Ministry of Maritime Exploration. But when asked about who's in charge of the waters, nobody answers" Syamsul said.

Chairman of the Reform Faction at the House of Representatives A.M. Lutfi, who is also a member of the Assembly's working committee, maintained that there has been no formal preparation for impeachment.

"The agenda of the hearing is the President's progress report, 1945 Constitution amendments and the formulation of stipulations outside the Constitution. Not impeachment," he said.

The three were panelists during a discussion here on Saturday about the prospects of the upcoming Assembly session.

Despite his positive outlook, Heri also warned that Abdurrahman should not take it for granted that his job is safe.

"He always wants to be understood but he's the one who should actually be trying to understand people. And members of his party, the National Awakening Party (PKB), always think negatively about people who criticize Gus Dur," he said.

Heri said Abdurrahman must change his behavior and stop replacing ministers at will or making spontaneous comments.

"If Gus Dur doesn't change, what can I say, maybe other scenarios will happen," he said. (09)