Susilo replaced in hasty reshuffle

Susilo replaced in hasty reshuffle

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid added further
suspense to the unfolding political drama by catching everyone by
surprise on Friday with his announcement of a Cabinet reshuffle
which included the replacement of his top political and security
minister.

The reshuffle was not so much a case of ushering new faces
into the Cabinet as one of musical chairs, as three of the five
new appointments were those of people already serving in his
administration.

What significance the reshuffle has remains to be seen as the
President is due to face a special session of the People's
Consultative Assembly in less than 60 days which could spell the
end of his government.

The most critical change was the appointment of Minister of
Communications Agum Gumelar to replace Coordinating Minister for
Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
who just days earlier had been handed a specific executive order
to ensure security in anticipation of potential unrest as a
result of the political impasse.

Many fear the sudden reshuffle could be the precursor of
further drastic steps that the President has threatened to take.

Another noteworthy change was the appointment of Minister of
Justice and Human Rights Baharuddin Lopa to replace Attorney
General Marzuki Darusman.

The replacement of Marzuki also came as a shock to many as on
the eve of the House of Representatives vote to call for a
special session, the Attorney General's Office cleared
Abdurrahman of involvement in the two economic scandals which
became the catalysts for the House's censure process.

In the government announcement read by presidential spokesman
Yahya C. Staquf on Friday afternoon, Susilo, Agum, Baharuddin,
and Marzuki, along with Minister of Maritime Affairs Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja and Junior Minister for National Economic
Reconstruction Restructuring Cacuk Sudarijanto were also
dismissed.

Apart from Baharuddin and Agum, the new appointments were
Cabinet Secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak as Minister of Justice and
Human Rights, and two lesser known figures, namely Rokhmin Dahuri
as Minister of Maritime Affairs and Budi Mulyawan Suyitno as
Minister of Communications.

Rokhmin, 42, is known as an academic who specializes in
maritime affairs and currently holds a senior post in the
ministry.

Budi is presently secretary of the Training and Education
Center of the Ministry of Communications. He is also an executive
of the Indonesian Association of Engineers.

It is unclear whether Marsilam will continue to double as
Cabinet Secretary but the replacement of Marzuki, a key Golkar
cadre, suggests that a follow-up announcement may be in the
offing.

Sources have said that a minister known to be the President's
close confidant may take over Marsilam's current post, leaving
the portfolio open for Marzuki to fill.

Controversy over the reshuffle is expected to persist since
Abdurrahman has, apparently, also decided to replace National
Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro.

Bimantoro, however, has refused to step down arguing that any
move to fire him must adhere to the prevailing regulations which
stipulate that such a change must be approved by the House.

Tragic

Susilo's replacement is seen by many as nothing short of
tragic.

It was Susilo over the past weeks who tirelessly led a team of
ministers tasked with finding a political compromise in respect
of the impasse between Abdurrahman and Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri,

Susilo has also been in the spotlight since Monday after he
was handed an executive order to maintain security which
potentially could allow him to wield wide-ranging authority were
a sudden state of emergency to be declared.

Susilo, who was previously Minister of Mines and Energy, took
up his coordinating post in August.

He took up his first Cabinet post with some reluctance as a
regulation demanded that he resign from active military service
upon accepting a civilian appointment. He eventually resigned in
October 1999 and was promoted to general.

Speaking to journalists before the official announcement of
his replacement, a clearly somber Susilo said he had been told by
the President that he was being replaced because of popular
demand, and to improve the relationship between Abdurrahman and
Megawati.

"This morning at 10 a.m. the President decided to dismiss and
replace me ... I am loyal to the President and I will accept this
decision," he added.

Susilo revealed that he had turned down an offer as home
affairs minister or communications minister.

Abdurrahman later in the evening did not hide his reasons for
appointing Agum to the pivotal post: "I want someone who can
foster ties with Megawati."

"Agum Gumelar will be the perfect man to maintain good ties
between the two of us," Abdurrahman said in a nationally
televised interview.

Agum, also a retired military man, has a reputation of being
close to Megawati and some in the past have suggested that his
inclusion in the cabinet was based on her recommendation.

But by late Friday there was no official confirmation whether
Agum had actually agreed to take on the job.

Agum visited the Vice President on Friday night at her
official residence for one hour. No information was forthcoming
about the meeting.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)'s
Pramono Anung told The Jakarta Post that Megawati had yet to
respond to the reshuffle.

Marzuki Darusman at his office appeared to be surprised
moments after the announcement was made at the presidential
palace.

"I don't know. Where did you get that information?," he
replied when asked by reporters.

The immediate reaction from outside the presidential circle
was one bordering on incredulity.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung and Assembly Speaker Amien Rais
both questioned the dismissal of Susilo, whom they both regarded
as being someone who had credence in the eyes of the public.

But the most telling indication of the significance of the
reshuffle was hinted at by defense minister Mahfud MD who
remarked that if Abdurrahman wanted to impose a state of
emergency or dissolve the House to preempt the special session,
he would have to replace his top security people.

"The President needs loyalists ... The first people that he
should replace are the Indonesian Military (TNI) chiefs."

"Afterwards, I guess he should replace his Minister of Home
Affairs and Regional Autonomy (Surjadi Soedirdja) and also his
Minister of Defense," Mahfud told journalists, obliquely
indicating his lack of support for a state of emergency. (02/dja)