New Cabinet more secure now

With the Vice President now assigned to technical details of governance, allegations involving the President will not likely affect the new Cabinet, says Arbi Sanit, a political science lecturer at the University of Indonesia.

Question: Will Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who, under a new presidential decree, now heads the Cabinet, will be able to cooperate well with President Abdurrahman Wahid?

Answer: Good cooperation between the two depends very much on how strongly they are committed to state affairs, on how they can control their emotions and on how seriously external factors disturb them. The relationship between Gus Dur (Abdurrahman) and Megawati is frequently emotional, while ... the lack of trust given them by politicians, market players and the public, can be very disturbing.

Considering that all Cabinet members have been picked by Gus Dur do you think Megawati will be able to control them?

The presidential decree will demand the Cabinet members cooperate with the Vice President, while the fact that their appointment was not based on the formal sponsorship of political parties will force them to be loyal only to their Cabinet leaders. So the loyalty of the new Cabinet to the President and Vice President will be better than that of the previous Cabinet, whose members were sponsored by political parties.

Has Gus Dur fulfilled his promise of recruiting professionals with high integrity for his new Cabinet?

I think that out of the 26 new Cabinet members, 20 are professionals. Some of them reportedly have integrity problems but we can say that they are generally good.

The House of Representatives (DPR) agreed on Monday to launch an inquiry into two financial scandals -- related to the handling of funds of the State Logistic Agency (Bulog) and financial aid from Brunei ruler Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah -- that many believe could implicate the President. Will the inquiry affect the work of the Cabinet?

Now that the day-to-day Cabinet management is in the hands of Megawati, any political attack on Gus Dur will not directly affect the work of the Cabinet. The split of the Cabinet management actually gives him a better chance to make political maneuvers, besides securing the work of the Cabinet.

Since DPR members are too party-oriented, rather than nation- oriented, could the Cabinet be affected by disappointed members who weren't consulted in the recruitment of new ministers?

The government is likely to face problems when it wants to obtain approval from the majority of DPR members on its proposals, such as that on the amendment of the military law and that on the state budget.

However, the government needn't worry about its budget plan because it will still be able to use the previous year's budget plan for its operation next year if it fails to obtain approval from DPR up to three times.

To overcome such problems, the government should always base its proposals on public interests, so that House members will not dare to oppose them. Otherwise, they will have to face challenges from the people. I think the government will use such a strategy in its fight against opposition in the House.

Will the process of ministerial mergers affect the Cabinet?

The reorganization of some ministries, which should be merged or split under the restructuring of the new Cabinet, will likely need between two weeks and one month. But public service should not be disturbed because the existing officials or offices will continue working before the new officials or offices are appointed and ready to serve.

Some press reports have raised a new rumor of an extramarital affair of the President. Will this affect the Cabinet?

No. Again because the running of the Cabinet will be managed by the Vice President.

Do you think the increased number of bomb explosions in various areas is related to disappointment toward the government, or to the planned trial of former president Soeharto?

They seem to have implications with both of them. However, it is difficult to be specific. Anyway, the recent bomb explosions are challenging Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has promised better security for the nation.

Considering the motion of the House to initiate inquiries into the handling of Bulog funds and private contributions that may involve the President and other political problems, will Gus Dur be able to lead until 2004?

He will survive any political problems until the end of his term in 2004. He's apparently quite resourceful. During the recent Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) criticisms against him were fierce but tensions cooled down as soon as he offered the division of Cabinet management between him and the Vice President.

Furthermore, the House and the MPR can only "shake" his position but they would never dare to topple him because they won't find a substitute.

The DPR's motion of inquiry is most likely to end with only a warning to the President for not having followed standard procedures because he will be able to prove that he did not use the funds. (Rikza Abdullah)