Susilo to confirm role of presidential aides

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is set to issue a decree on Monday to reorganize the state secretariat in an apparent move to formally accommodate his aides and those of his deputy, who helped them win the presidency last September.

State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra said on Friday that the Office of the State Minister of Administrative Reforms was currently completing the draft of a presidential decree on special aides to the President, and to Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

"Currently, there are some people helping the Vice President and the President. But it is not official. Under the regulations they cannot be installed officially," Yusril told the press before a limited Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Jakarta.

He said that a number of the aides to Susilo and Kalla were appointed by directive instead of by presidential decrees as required by law.

Under the new decree, all the special aides, including presidential spokespersons, will be posted as special staff members in the Office of Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi, Yusril added.

He said the President would have 10 special aides and the Vice President five, while ministers would each be allowed to appoint three special aides.

Andi Mallarangeng, an academic-turned-spokesman for the President, is among those who will be appointed as special aides.

Some former members of the Susilo-Kalla campaign team who helped them win the July 5 presidential election and the Sept. 20 runoff, will likely also be appointed as special aides, said an official from the Office of the State Minister of Administrative Reforms.

Both Susilo and Kalla have also picked several of their respective aides to sit in their United Indonesia Cabinet and other state institutions.

Susilo had pledged to form a Cabinet consisting of professionals during the presidential campaign last year.

The law does not specifically provide for the appointment of special aides for the President and Vice President. However, the law allows the President, Vice President and ministers to assign persons other than civil servants as special members of their staff.

Special staff members usually come from the private sector, or are retired civil servants or military officers. Meanwhile, expert staff members are usually civil servants, including academics from state-owned universities.

Their duties are not specified but mostly take the form of providing advice. Special staff members are prohibited from setting policies.

Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid appointed a number of his aides as special members.

Yusril said that the new presidential decree was aimed at coordinating the duties of the state secretariat as currently the work of the state secretary's office, the cabinet secretary's office and the vice presidential secretary's office was not overseen by a specific authority.

"There is no presidential secretary as our administrative system does not recognize this office, although former president Gus Dur appointed one," he said.