Ratih may quit her post soon

Ratih may quit her post soon

JAKARTA (JP): Presidential secretary Ratih Hardjono has
tendered her letter of resignation, a State Palace official has
said.

Head of the press and media bureau at the Presidential
Secretariat, Dharmawan Ronodipuro, told The Jakarta Post on
Monday night that Ratih wanted to concentrate on her upcoming
wedding plans.

"Ibu Ratih has submitted her resignation letter, but I still
don't know the President's reaction," Dharmawan said.

The resignation was said to be effective on April 1. People
close to Ratih say she will marry a senior Nahdlatul Ulama
executive.

The former Kompas journalist was installed as Abdurrahman's
assistant in November and was entrusted with prodigious tasks,
including preparing state functions.

But palace sources said Ratih apparently did not get on well
with First Lady Sinta Nuriyah.

Her area of responsibility was also eroded with Marsilam
Simajuntak's appointment as Cabinet secretary and Bondan Gunawan
as secretary of development supervision in January.

Dharmawan would not comment on the speculations. "What I know
is that she wants to have more time to prepare for her wedding,"
he insisted. (prb)