Sudden reshuffle

Sudden reshuffle

President Abdurrahman Wahid has been harshly criticized for
suddenly reshuffling his Cabinet. Was this move for the better or
worse? In the replacement of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the
suspension of National Police chief Gen. Suroyo Bimantoro, I
would say that the President's actions were understandable. I am
sure if we were in his shoes, we would do the same. This is
because what the two men did, prior to the reshuffle, was
politically disadvantageous to the President, and from a
management perspective, the two men's actions were intolerable.

As they are subordinate to the President, they should not
publicly voice their disagreements with the head of state. By
doing so, it sends Abdurrahman's opponents the signal that the
President lacks support even from members of his Cabinet. If they
disagree with the President, they should resign from their post.
I remember a few years ago, the health minister of Peru warned
Peruvians not to consume fish for the time being as the sea
around Peru had been contaminated with industrial waste. When the
fishermen's organization protested, then president Fujimori
demonstrated that the fish was still safe to consume by eating
raw fish. The next day the health minister resigned. If I may
suggest, the President should also replace the minister of
defense, Army chief of staff and Navy chief of staff because they
too had acted like Pak Susilo and Gen. Suroyo Bimantoro.

On June 3, 2001 Gen. Suroyo Bimantoro told police generals in
a speech that the police must stay away from politics. To me, his
actions are to the contrary. If he was a professional, he would
obey his superior's orders. By soliciting support from the other
police generals and then going to the House of Representatives
(DPR) to garner more support, he was acting more like a
politician than a police officer. As Abdurrahman Wahid is still
the president of this country, he has to obey his orders,
otherwise he may be charged with insubordination. If after his
resignation, the DPR disagrees with the President's decision, he
may be reinstated as the National Police chief.

M. SULHAN ASKANDAR

Jakarta