The Cabinet reshuffle: Never too late to learn!

J. Soedjati Djiwandono, Jakarta

During the more than three-decade long New Order regime of president Soeharto, many people described the leadership style of Soeharto using a rhythmic Javanese saying that meant "slow but sure". In contrast, one could aptly describe the leadership style of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) in the first year of his presidency as "slow and never sure".

This could adversely affect the way he handles the complex problems faced by this nation. He might find it difficult even to set the order of priorities.

On the very first day of his presidency, the announcement of the Cabinet was delayed repeatedly for hours. Should not he have thought about this in the days before his swearing-in? Why did he not learn from his predecessors, every one of whom spent a week or more to form a Cabinet?

What was the hurry, anyway, when SBY promised to announce his Cabinet right after his inauguration? Was he trying to break a meaningless record? The hurly-burly of those long evening hours following his inauguration could not but arouse speculation on what was going on behind the scenes. Where there arguments between SBY and Vice President Jusuf Kalla?

There seems to have been a drawn-out tug-of-war between the two leaders about who was to be included in the Cabinet. It was perhaps also related to the political parties that felt they had the right to claim seats in the Cabinet because they thought their support had contributed to SBY's victory. Unfortunately, SBY seemed to have naively believed in all that rubbish. He wrongly believed he owed his victory as the country's first-ever directly elected president to these self-centered and self- imagined "representatives of the people".

There was, for instance, a "political contract" between SBY and the PKS! What for? Was it not more important that he had agreed to a contract with the people, his voters? SBY does not seem to be sure of his own worthiness, and thus his own power and credibility as President. He has made himself an object of blackmail by certain parties.

It is pathetic that as the first directly elected President, SBY does not seem to understand the implications of a direct presidential election. He once made a point of meeting with Nurwahid of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, in the Assembly building. Why not invite Nurwahid to the presidential palace? SBY seems to have been unaware that he is not subordinate to the MPR, which no longer has the power to elect the president. Indeed, the MPR is now a useless institution that should be abolished.

Perhaps his lack of experience in a leadership position, even during his military career, has partly contributed to SBY's diffident leadership. Added to that, his belated advanced academic achievement -- obtaining his PhD not long before his election as President -- perhaps did not help make him an independent, solid and self-confident personality.

That seems to explain the impression SBY himself has created of never being sure of himself, which has characterized his slow and uncertain leadership. This has certainly disappointed the voters. He named his Cabinet the "United Indonesia Cabinet of a United Indonesia". This is similar to Megawati's "Mutually Cooperative Cabinet" and Gus Dur's "Cabinet of National Unity". But SBY seemed to have been referring to the unity among the different political parties rather than to national unity. He thinks more of the political parties than of the people who elected him.

Interestingly, the Democratic Party, which was founded by SBY and which officially nominated him as its presidential candidate, has just a single minister in the Cabinet. An observer has wrongly called this phenomenon "spectacular", while in fact it is odd or bizarre.

SBY promised to appoint "professional" people as Cabinet ministers. However, he must have misunderstood the meaning of the word "professional". What is professional about appointing an engineer turned businessman, former chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to the position of coordinating minister for economic affairs? What about assigning an accountant by training and former minister of finance, Bambang Soedibyo, to the post of minister of national education? He was in the Cabinet perhaps more to represent the National Mandate Party (PAN) than to represent any profession, although he was a university professor.

Secretary of State Yusril Ihza Mahendra clearly represents the Muslim-based Crescent Star Party (PBB), a small and sectarian- oriented party, which did not even pass the electoral threshold to be able to nominate a presidential candidate. Yet he still refused to go through the fit and proper test at the House of Representatives. Oddly, enough, the House kept its mouth shut and SBY proceeded to accept him as secretary of state. SBY, Yusril and House clearly disregarded the issue, which amounted to neglecting an important part of the democratic mechanism of checks and balances.

The sluggish leadership of SBY has recently been made clear by his hesitant stand on a Cabinet reshuffle. The Jakarta Post (Dec. 5) referred to "speculation of a rift" between SBY and the Vice President that clouded reshuffle. Indeed, it has been clear from the outset that there has been some degree of dualism in the government.

Meanwhile, their policies tend to pamper the rich while being callous and insensitive to the plight of the poor, thereby creating an ever-widening gap between the rich and poor.

Indeed, the long-awaited announcement of the Cabinet reshuffle on the night of Dec. 5 was breaking news. It is never too late to learn, Mr. President!

The writer, a political analyst, is a PhD graduate from the London School of Economics and Political Science.