Rainbow Cabinet unprofessional, say observers

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.