State Secretariat undertakes major reshuffle

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Less than one month before President Megawati Soekarnoputri's administration completes its tenure, the powerful State Secretariat has conducted a major reshuffle of 109 officials.

Among the officials sworn in on Tuesday by State Secretary Bambang Kesowo are two high-ranking officials appointed as deputy secretary to the President for management of presidential aid and internal affairs and deputy secretary for the media.

The reshuffle also affected the bulk of division heads in the State Secretariat.

Speaking with reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, Bambang refuted suggestions that the reshuffle was not well- prepared and was aimed at covering up shortcomings that occurred during the three years of the Megawati administration.

"It is not true that the reshuffle was done hastily or that it has anything to do with the imminent loss of the incumbent in the runoff," Bambang was quoted by Antara as saying.

Megawati is headed for a crushing defeat in the presidential election, with rival Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono taking an unassailable lead in the computerized vote counting conducted by the General Elections Commission (KPU).

When asked about the possibility of Susilo removing the newly installed officials after he takes office, Bambang replied: "It will be the prerogative of the new president. But I can guarantee that the two high-ranking officials will not be removed."

Deputy Cabinet Secretary Erman Rajagukguk said the reshuffle had been prepared long before Megawati decided on her reelection bid.

He rejected the use of the term "reshuffle", and instead stressed that it was a series of promotions aimed at improving the welfare of the new officials.

"The decree on the officials' promotions was issued in June, and today's event was only to formalize them," he told The Jakarta Post.

He declined to comment on the significance of the posts in relation to presidential duties.

In a similar move, Attorney General M.A. Rachman rotated on Monday 10 provincial chief prosecutors and swore in 16 new officials, prompting suggestions that the move was an effort to bolster his position prior to the arrival of a new government.

Commenting on the moves, Saldi Isra, a lecturer of law at Padang-based Andalas University and an anticorruption activist, expressed concern that the reshuffle would disrupt the bureaucracy.

"What is the point of replacing officials who will likely be removed once a new administration takes office," he told the Post.

He said the move could also create problems for the new administration, as the new officials could produce erratic policies.

Saldi suspected that the reshuffles at the State Secretariat and the Attorney General's Office was part of efforts to cover up any past wrongdoings.

"The installment of new officials may be prompted by a desire to protect friends and cronies who had conspired in doing mischief in the past," the Bung Hatta Anticorruption Award recipient said.