Pro-Susilo parties disgruntled over Cabinet posts

Muninggar Sri Saraswati The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Political parties that supported Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the Sept. 20 runoff are accusing the retired Army general of breaching a preelection agreement, after he hinted at giving a prominent Cabinet post to a senior executive of a minor party that did not campaign for his presidency bid.

Reliable insider sources told The Jakarta Post on Saturday the parties were now demanding more ministerial posts from Susilo, who has garnered 60.9 percent of over 109 million ballots counted as of Saturday evening.

They said the Democratic Party, the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) had all agreed to two Cabinet posts each if Susilo and running mate Jusuf Kalla won the election.

"We also agreed the PKS (Prosperous Justice Party) should have a single post, since they helped us in the second round, while the remainder of the Cabinet posts would be given to professionals.

"But we simply cannot understand why this party gets a Cabinet position. Its leaders did nothing in the campaign," they said, referring to the New Indonesia Alliance Party (PIB), which did not win even one seat in the April legislative election.

The PIB could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

PBB chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra played down the discord, saying no preelection political deal had been made with the three parties that supported Susilo's runoff bid.

He said only three people were involved in the initial discussions regarding Susilo and Kalla's possible win in the presidential election: the two candidates and Yusril himself.

"Pak Susilo called it the first shareholders. But this does not mean we will neglect the others," said Yusril, adding that the Democratic Party, the PBB and the PKPI became involved in discussions only at a later date.

He also said the PBB had yet to begin discussing the Cabinet lineup in the next government, pending the official announcement of the election result.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) is due to announce the final and binding result of the election on Oct. 5, and the new president will be inaugurated on Oct. 20.

Meanwhile, a number of leading figures such as former cooperatives minister Adi Sasono, National Awakening Party (PKB) executive Ali Masykur Moesa, regional representatives councillor Ginandjar Kartasasmita and legislator Eggy Sudjana said on Saturday that they received short messaging service (SMS) text offering them posts in Susilo's Cabinet.

Adi allegedly received an SMS reading: "Please come to Puri Cikeas on Saturday at 6. Don't tell anybody (Heru Lelono)."

Heru is Susilo's personal secretary, and Puri Cikeas is a housing estate in Bogor, West Java, where Susilo resides.

Ali, on the other hand, received an SMS saying that former president Abdurrahman Wahid and his daughter Zanuba Arifah Chafsoh had nominated him as a ministerial candidate.

Susilo refuted the SMS messages on Saturday as misleading and urged the public not to believe them.

"Much misleading information has been circulating either through SMS or word of mouth. It is said that SBY gave out free prepaid telephone cards and invited ministerial candidates to Cikeas. Please don't believe in this misleading information. SBY is still waiting for the final results of the election," Susilo was quoted by detik.com on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Heru said some of those who had received the messages tried to confirm them with Susilo or his aides.

"The selection of Cabinet members is the prerogative of Pak SBY. There have been some discussion about the Cabinet, but these concerned the structure, not candidates," he said.