The men and women behind the President

By Kornelius Purba

JAKARTA (JP): By all accounts Abdurrahman Wahid is no ordinary man. And he is also a president elected under extraordinary circumstances.

This unique leader often discards traditional channels of information, sometimes leaving the public wondering about policies or statements around the bend.

Having been jolted several times by statements from President Abdurrahman, it was no surprise that legislators jumped on his closest assistants to try and breakdown the decision making blackbox during a hearing here recently.

"It's not important who whispered to him. Look at the outcome of his statements. By exaggerating the role of the 'whisperers', you are underestimating the President," Cabinet Secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak said during the hearing with the House of Representatives's Commission I.

The commission members, overseeing defense and security affairs, foreign affairs, and legal affairs, grilled the four presidential secretaries -- Marsilam, Military Secretary Rear Marshal Budhy Santoso, Presidential Secretary Ratih Hardjono and Secretary for Government Supervision and State Secretary Bondan Gunawan.

They particularly focused on where the president gets information, occasionally leading him to make controversial statements, particularly during his 16-day trip overseas.

Legislators were also desperate to expose the crux which lead Abdurrahman to drastically reverse his decision on Gen. Wiranto in a matter of hours.

"There are no specific whisperers around the President," Budhy said. The Military Secretary was the only one of the four secretaries to travel with the President during the overseas trip.

While hopping from country to country, it was evident that Abdurrahman was abreast of developments at home.

On board the Garuda 330-300 he received minute by minute reports on events in Indonesia.

Two officers from the Military Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) operated a fax machine at the rear of the plane. Garuda also provided a special secure line for the President to make inflight telephone calls.

Brig. Gen. Soenardi, a BAIS director, was also included in the President's entourage. The experienced Soenardi also served and traveled with former presidents Soeharto and B.J. Habibie.

A Navy intelligence officer by the name of Lt. Col. Djuanda was also included in the entourage.

Sources cite that Djuanda is a trustee of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, who was also former BAIS chief, and on good terms with former chief of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo.

Prabowo, son-in-law of Soeharto, was seen at the Marriot Hotel in Zurich on March 31 where the president was staying during his stop in Switzerland.

However, a palace official disclosed that it was Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Adm. Widodo A.S. who assigned Djuanda for the trip.

Wahyu Maryadi, head of Palace Protocol Affairs, is one of President Abdurrahman's favorite aides to read press reports or letters to him. Wahyu usually reads front page cover stories or other interesting articles.

Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab and the President's second daughter Zannuba Arifah 'Yenny' Chafsoh Rahman are two others who are close and recite to him the daily news.

Yenny's role in particular has come under public scrutiny. She was an almost permanent fixture as she physically guided the president during meetings with world leaders including U.S. President Bill Clinton, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Pope John Paul II.

"Why is she (Yenny) always present at meetings where confidential matters may be discussed?" Commission I chairman Yasril Ananta Baharuddin said recently.

During the hearing Yasril even alleged that it was Yenny who erroneously informed her father of a supposed meeting of generals at Jl. Lautze, Central Jakarta, during the president's absence.

Abdurrahman has since denied the allegations.

Yenny said recently that she has to escort and guide her father because Abdurrahman feels much more comfortable with her.

She said she not only escorts him to meet world leaders but also to the bathroom.

"My daughter told me that the bathroom in my hotel is very big," Abdurrahman joked about the toilet at his suite at Landmark Hotel in London.

Abdurrahman for some years had a male assistant named Al Zastrouw Ng to guide him through his daily chores prior to becoming President. But he is no longer active since Ratih began to assume the role of President Abdurrahman's assistant last year.

Sideline

One very significant development since Abdurrahman's ascendance was the erosion of power of the State Secretariat's office from the decision making process.

Under Soeharto's rule the state secretary was considered by many as assuming the role of prime minister. It, in effect, handled nearly all state affairs, from the promotion of state owned companies to the defense of Soeharto's children.

As Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman, Abdurrahman often felt the sting of the state secretariat.

He recently disclosed how some Palace officials would siphon a large chunk of Soeharto's financial assistance for NU.

Abdurrahman also remarked that he was sick of how the state secretariat isolated and filtered access to the president by monopolizing Palace protocol.

Wahyu admitted that one of the primary reasons for his appointment was that he was unaccustomed and therefore uncorrupted with the "traditional" ways of the palace.

"His only reason to pick me as protocol chief is the fact that I know nothing about protocol," Wahyu remarked adding that he has vowed to keep the atmosphere at the Palace more relaxed.

To handle various state issues, Abdurrahman initially relied on Ratih Hardjono who for the past year had worked as his personal assistant.

But she has also come under tremendous scrutiny.

Ratih's installation ceremony was the subject of much speculation as it was held just three-hours after the President returned from an overseas trip in November.

Sources said First Lady Sinta Nuriyah refused to attend the ceremony, maybe due to fatigue.

In his decree No. 141, issued on Nov. 22, the President stipulated that Ratih's duties include preparing state functions led by or attended by the President and Vice President, domestic and overseas tours by the President.

She is also charged with press affairs, administrative matters, and the handling of about 500 civil servants working for the presidential household chief and maintenance of the presidential palaces.

The administrative matters initially included the selection of incoming letters to the President, along with drafting President's decisions, decrees, and instructions.

Ratih also lists the daily guests for President Abdurrahman.

During the tenure of Soeharto and Habibie, the list of visitors were usually screened by a presidential adjutant with a rank of colonel.

But in December, Ratih was allegedly embroiled in a controversy over the issuing of a decree which gave State Minister of Investment and State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi responsibility to supervise state-owned companies and banks.

Minister of Finance Bambang Sudibyo, initially charged with those responsibilities, was fuming when he discovered the snafu.

Just five days later Abdurrahman had to sign Government Regulation No. 98 to replace regulation No. 6 in order to return the authority of such matters to the minister of finance.

Then State Secretary Ali Rahman openly pointed the finger at Ratih saying the matter was processed by Ratih's office. Ali himself has since resigned after seeing the powers of his office eroded.

The new year ushered in the introduction of Marsilam Simanjuntak and Bondan Gunawan as two individuals who will have high visibility in the policy decision making process.

Both have been friends with President Abdurrahman for a number of years.

As Cabinet secretary Marsilam, 59, is tasked with formulating Cabinet policies, keep regular contacts between the President and his 35 ministers and follow up results of Cabinet meetings.

Bondan, 52 supervises the implementation of government policies and provides all necessary inputs.

Now that he has assumed the post of State Secretary left by Ali Rahman, there is strong speculation that Bondan's duties as secretary for government supervision will be given to economist Faisal Basri.

The role of Military Secretary has been held by Budhy Santoso since 1998.

His main duty is to act as a kind of liaison between the President and the Indonesian Military (TNI) headquarters.