The people get Cabinet they deserve

The people get Cabinet they deserve

The lineup of the new National Unity Cabinet was announced on
Tuesday. Political analyst J. Soedjati Djiwandono says the
Cabinet is perhaps the best the nation has had in decades.

JAKARTA (JP): In terms of its composition, and just like the
election of President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President
Megawati Soekarnoputri, the newly established Cabinet is
definitely the result of compromises. Any form of compromise, in
whatever field, never satisfies anyone. At best it is the most
that everyone can accept.

Despite these compromises however, in some ways the new
Cabinet may be the best we have had for decades. Although the
proportionality of the distribution of "political spoils" may be
questionable, in the first place the Cabinet includes -- again a
form of compromise -- representatives from the major political
parties which contested the June elections.

Second, the Cabinet includes members of different -- though
understandably not all -- religious and ethnic groups. Third,
despite compromises between the old and new elements, the
majority of its members are younger than members of previous
Cabinets. Although it could have been a little better, the choice
of the old elements is not too bad. In any event, amid the
dangers of national disintegration, the Cabinet seems to deserve
its name. Hopefully, its future policies will bring the nation
closer and closer to that ideal.

Of greater significance however, is the radically changed
strategic and political orientation of the new national
leadership, which is reflected clearly by the new government.
Some of the key indicators of these shifts include the following:

First, the appointment of a civilian -- a good and smart one
at that -- to the post of defense and security just as in the old
days before the onset of dictatorial rule under Sukarno's guided
democracy and "Pancasila democracy" under Soeharto's New Order.
According to the President, the move was suggested by Gen.
Wiranto, and as such it is a credit to the general, and thus to
the Indonesian Military (TNI) as a whole. Although it must be
added that Wiranto seems to have been successful in securing a no
less important post for himself.

Second, the new and appropriate maritime orientation has not
only been repeatedly emphasized by the President himself, but is
now evident in the establishment of an appropriate ministry
dealing with maritime exploration. That Indonesia is one of the
largest maritime nations in the world, and literally the largest
archipelago, has long been a talking point. But it was never
clearly translated into the country's strategic, political and
economic orientation and policy.

To support that argument, for the first time in Indonesian
history, the new commander of the defense force is a Navy
admiral. As a great maritime country, Indonesia should have a
strong Navy and Air Force. These branches of the military should
be stronger than the Army, although it would cost a lot more to
maintain the former two, not only in terms of human resources,
but also in terms of equipment and technology.

Cynics who comprise not only civilians, but also Air Force and
Navy personnel, have been saying for some time that what has been
designated as the dual function of the Indonesian Military (TNI)
has been primarily or essentially the dual function of the Army.

Last, the abolition of the information ministry should be
welcomed. A democratic country devoted to individual freedoms
should have no need of such a ministry, which only smacks of
authoritarianism. This is not to deny the fact that the last man
occupying that post was one of the best.

Without being presumptuous, pretentious, or prejudiced against
the new minister of education, however, and because of my serious
concerns as a teacher and educator, I wonder if the new
government will pay due attention to the problem of education.
Education has such a strategic significance for the development
of our young people, particularly as we face the challenges in
the years ahead.

Despite their better physique, and probably their better
brains, the present generation of young Indonesians has suffered
the worst education system ever. One would hope that the new
minister of education would sincerely strive to introduce a new
education system for the younger generation. One which would make
them increasingly independent and critical human beings, in terms
of their way of thinking, their views, their studies and their
work.

If we really want to have men and women that will be up to the
challenges of a modern world marked by globalization and fierce
competition, this subject should be given high priority by the
new government.

Of no less importance, last but not least is the prospect of
reform. There are new faces in the Cabinet of National Unity
which have lived outside the public limelight. I can only hope
that the compromises made among the political parties and TNI
will not be at the expense of reform. Indeed, to fulfill the
dreams of reform is almost an insurmountable task, no matter how
strong the new government's intention and political power.

A compromise government is rarely a strong government. For
better or for worse, perhaps as a nation, we Indonesians have got
what we deserve.