Rainbow Cabinet unprofessional, say observers

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta

Political coalitions that may result in a rainbow Cabinet may cost the next government its professionalism, observers warned on Monday.

Speaking at a discussion held by the Habibie Center, they encouraged presidential candidates to remain nonconformist in establishing a Cabinet, saying that the number of ministerial seats granted to major parties in the House of Representatives did not ensure that the president-elect's administration would work well.

Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University rector Sofian Effendi criticized presidential candidates for trying to build coalitions in exchange for political support from lawmakers for their policies, instead of trying to improve performance to ensure a better future for the country.

"There are three types of Cabinet that a president can pursue. First, a coalition Cabinet consisting of parties' members with the main aim of securing support from a simple majority at the House. Second, a Zaken Cabinet consisting of professionals, which I believe would be promising to lead the country out of the prolonged crisis. Third, a coalition Cabinet that divides ministerial posts equally between professionals and politicians," Sofian said.

Ahead of the presidential election runoff on Sept. 20, the two candidates eligible to contest the election, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Megawati Soekarnoputri, have stepped up lobbying leaders of political parties that won significant votes in the April 5 legislative election.

Such moves are deemed necessary because neither Susilo's nor Megawati's party won a majority in the April polls.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which supports Megawati, secured 109 of 550 seats, while Susilo's upstart Democratic Party finished with 57 seats.

Golkar, the political machine of former president Soeharto, received the most votes in the April elections with 127 seats, enabling it to hold prominent roles in the House, especially in determining policies or state budget proposals by the government.

The two candidates also separately arranged a series of meetings with other influential party leaders, including Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Many believe that backroom deals on the composition of the Cabinet may have taken place during the meetings.

Sharing Sofian's view was Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, a United Development Party (PPP) legislator, who said the presidential candidates would not necessarily build a coalition with parties on the grounds that the bill on ministerial offices would grant the president the prerogative to appoint his/her ministers. The bill, if endorsed, will leave lawmakers only with the power to approve any plan to dissolve or restructure nonportfolio ministries.

Lukman is part of a House team that drafted the bill and is expecting to sit together with the government to deliberate it before their term ends at the end of September.

The bill stipulates fixed ministries that should be maintained by the new government, including the foreign ministry, the defense ministry, the finance ministry and the justice ministry.

Meanwhile, economist Umar Juoro criticized the concept of a coalition Cabinet pursued by post-New Order administrations, saying it had only put the president under heavy pressure from interests other than his or her main missions.

He also criticized the presence of coordinating ministers in the Cabinet, saying they had failed to create synergy among ministries under their supervision.

"Maybe within the next five years, coordinating ministers should be scrapped from the Cabinet lineup, because their roles are nothing more than being the government's public relations officers," he said.