MPs may seek Cabinet reshuffle
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)