Susilo keeps public guessing about Cabinet shakeup
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Although he said, "It's a beautiful day", the correct song to describe the situation of key economic minister Aburizal Bakrie, may be I will survive by Gloria Gaynor.
Being under pressure in the past few months -- especially with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono receiving intense pressure to replace him due to what some people describe as a poor performance -- has apparently not curbed Aburizal's contentedness, as was evident on Friday.
As he strutted along the corridor heading to the President's office to attend the first Cabinet meeting after the long Idul Fitri break, he smiled and greeted reporters covering the event.
"It's a beautiful day today... There's no need to worry about (a Cabinet shakeup)," he said with a grin, responding to questions whether he would survive a planned Cabinet shakeup.
Sources close to Susilo said Aburizal would very likely keep his job, after a vote of confidence from Vice President Jusuf Kalla and the Golkar Party. Before becoming a minister, Aburizal was known as a successful businessman as well as a top politician with Golkar.
In contrast to the bounce in Aburizal's step, Minister of Finance Jusuf Anwar trudged heavily down the hall to the President's office as he stared blankly at newly displayed photos of the president on the wall.
"I don't know about the reshuffle. It depends on the President ... The agenda of today's meeting is also unclear," Jusuf stated.
Being a career bureaucrat at the finance ministry, Jusuf has no alliance to any political party.
State Minister of National Development Planning Sri Mulyani Indrawati would not comment on a possible reshuffle, saying "I am busy dealing with the bird flu outbreak."
Rumors have spread at the House of Representatives and on the capital markets that Susilo could announce a reshuffle during the Cabinet meeting before flying to South Korea to attend the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting.
But even after the 90-minute meeting ended on Friday, the much-anticipated news was not to be. Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil dismissed the Cabinet shakeup rumors during a press conference.
"The meeting was about the evaluation of the Cabinet performance during the first year and our hopes for the next year. There was no discussion of a reshuffle as has been swirling around in the media," he said.
Sofyan's remark seemed in contradiction of a recent disclosure by Susilo during a press gathering on Wednesday over a plan to dismiss one or two ministers for their failure to meet expectations.
Observers have predicted that Aburizal and Jusuf would be replaced, considering that they were deemed most responsible for the current economic volatility; characterized by strong inflationary pressures.