Quitting honorable task
Quitting honorable task
The startling if not shocking news was broken last weekend by
the President himself. The Cabinet's Coordinating Minister for
People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Hamzah Haz announced he
would be more useful serving as chairman of his United
Development Party (PPP). At least that was his official
explanation. A former professor from Makassar University, Basri
Hasanuddin, 70, was immediately available to replace him.
How immature, almost childish (I'm sorry to say so) it was to
first accept a challenging and honorable position as a Cabinet
minister, and to declare under oath to abide by the duties and
hardship the position might entail, and then to resign after a
month of service for personal reasons. It would indeed be
different if the minister had had to face a vote of no-confidence
in the House of Representatives and had been defeated or recalled
by his party. It is regrettable to say, but this is a serious
crack of weakness in the management of the newly formed
government.
To achieve its program, each and every member of Abdurrahman
Wahid's administration must hence forward demonstrate his or her
unshakable determination to succeed. The Aceh problem and the
call for greater regional autonomy or even the cry for separation
from Indonesia or for a unitary republic -- though it threatens
like an iceberg -- will eventually die down if everybody becomes
more reasonable. A state of Aceh, if it ever comes to
materialize, would have to rely on Indonesia's defense umbrella
against foreign threats, both militarily and economically.
The ministers in charge of economic recovery are facing an
almost impossible task to restructure the economic and financial
ruins (just think of the banking sector) left behind as a legacy
by the former administrations in terms of foreign debts and
abuses of power. How can the ministers start the economic
restructuring task when they are faced with such daunting
dilemmas and are vulnerable to sharp criticism.
The sun in the sky may continue to shine brightly in years to
come, but all of the Cabinet members must realize that time is
not on their side. Also, there are still groupings in society who
are intent on making life for the administration difficult.
Remember that ordinary people are becoming impatient to obtain an
improvement in their lives.
GANDHI SUKARDI
Jakarta