What they expect from the new cabinet members

JAKARTA (JP): The days before the announcement of the new cabinet saw a flurry of excitement and guessing about who might make it into the lineup. The following people shared their hopes and expectations of the incoming ministers before the cabinet was announced yesterday.

Fahmi Idris, CEO of the Kodel business group: I really hope the new cabinet will have a strong and capable economic team because the main agenda for it is how to tackle the crisis. As the core of the problem lies in the weakening rupiah, the cabinet, especially the economic team, must work hard to shore up the rupiah to a more realistic level and then stabilize it.

But efforts to stabilize the rupiah must be accompanied by efforts to restore public confidence in the government as this is the main culprit behind the weakening rupiah. Otherwise, the rupiah will never stabilize. Building confidence, especially from the business community, is a necessary prerequisite to strengthen the rupiah.

Muhammad (Bob) Hasan, chairman of the Kalimanis group:

The new cabinet ministers must consist of honest and professional people. They must be knowledgeable in their field, for example, the trade and industry minister must be knowledgeable about international trade.

Aburizal Bakrie, chairman of the Bakrie Group:

We need one strong coordinating minister for the economy to mend the ailing economy. The minister could, for example, follow the model applied during Widjojo Nitisastro's era. Therefore, we will have clear command and coordination.

Probosutedjo, chairman of the Mercubuana group:

I hope the new cabinet ministers will be really qualified, with enough initiatives to adapt to changes, not only seeking advice and guidance from the President. If we want to solve this crisis, we must have initiatives, we cannot only just seek guidance like what the last cabinet ministers did.

Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, outgoing State Minister of Environment, former state minister for administrative reforms:

The tasks of ministers in the next cabinet will be tough. Cohesiveness and compactness must be paramount among them.

Everyone of them must be skillful, know the substance of problems they will be facing and be able to communicate among themselves clearly without ambiguity.

We have learned from the previous cabinet how ambiguous communication has cost the nation a lot of money and energy.

Also, it's been an objective need that the next cabinet lineup is more streamlined.

The cabinet's ... main priority should be to return the confidence of both the public and the international community in the government.

And, remember, people believe in the men themselves, not their concept. The next cabinet should be filled by people known for their moral integrity and intelligence.

I agree that the office of the state minister of environment should be merged into another ministry, but it should be with "a dominant ministry", such as in Sweden ... becoming the ministry of energy and environment.

Or it could also be like India, where there is a department called the department of natural resources and environment.

... The environment issue is not the issue of one single ministry but all ministries.

Bens Leo, a music critic:

I hope for ... figures with capacity, in terms of academic capacity and professionalism, and integrity. ...

I am confused because the economy is going bankrupt so I think the cabinet really needs qualified people ...

So I do hope the next cabinet will be focused on the economy .... personally I am also hit by the current crisis.

I've just arrived from Solo, Central Java, and I was so surprised to see the prices of everything, even vegetables, which were skyrocketing to almost 400 percent.

I was so disappointed to hear that Pak Harmoko, former minister of information (also speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly) stated that the impact of the crisis was not that big in some areas outside Jakarta.

... that's the worst statement I've heard from a former minister who is supposed to be able to analyze the situation.

So I hope that President Soeharto will be more selective in choosing (ministers) ... also in relation to (arts) and music.

Why, for example, were films and TV dramas automatically under the authority of the Minister of Information? What about music, which has played a big role in development? I expect that there will be clear guidelines for the ministers to administer their respective fields so there will be no more confusion among artists like us.

M. Jusuf Ronodipuro, former diplomat:

I do hope that the next cabinet is the one that can work hard to heal this illness and return the people's trust, in Indonesia or abroad.

Lately, when my friends and colleagues call me I tell them to not spend too much time on the phone; who knows, I might be called (by the President for a ministerial appointment)?

Rudini, former minister of home affairs (1988 to 1993) and former Army chief of staff: Downsizing the cabinet would mean significantly less spending of the state budget.

Fewer ministers would also be easier to coordinate and mean better coordination. The ministers should pass tight checks. He or she should be a good manager and have statesmanship.

People consider the outgoing cabinet the worst cabinet ever. I think there is truth in that. Coordination in the cabinet was not good. Often two or more ministers gave different statements on similar matters.

Halim, a student activist:

I hope the next cabinet will be cleaner than the previous one, especially regarding the current situation, so we need people who will not abuse their positions for their interests. So ... ministers should not only be brilliant, but they have to be 100 percent dedicated to our beloved country.

However, I agree with Pak Amien (outspoken Moslem scholar Amien Rais) who challenges the next cabinet to salvage this country's economy and the people's trust within six months, or, if they fail, they'd better back off.

So let's give them a chance. Anyway, once they have been appointed nothing can change that. We'll see what happens next, whether we'll all sink or gradually rise ...

I hope I am wrong, but I still think clever people do not guarantee better coordination and sincere dedication.

Zita Hapsari, a private television station reporter:

Right now we need clever people who know and master their knowledge and specialty. And, moreover, honest people as we have seen what happens if dishonest people are trusted ...

So I hope that the choices being made are those who are right for the job, clever, honest, skillful and have a good personality and a clean record.

Or at least, people who really know what they're doing and know how to handle problems.

Ministers should talk and give clear and transparent statements in order not to disrupt public opinion.

They also have to be brave enough to admit if they fail or make a mistake -- don't run behind the President's back if something goes wrong. (team)