News Focus: RESHUFFLE MAY DISADVANTAGE SBY GOVT

Jakarta Forum - Jakarta, While no gesture has come from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), his Democratic Party (PD)`s proposal for a cabinet reshuffle has continued to spark speculations and discourses from various quarters.

The Democratic Party last Thursday exerted pressure on the president to replace ministers from disloyal coalition partners that have refused to defend his government in the ongoing inquiry into the Bank Century bailout case.

However, the president has not made any response while the PD left its proposal to that effect to the head of state to decide. "The Democratic Party is not in a position to push for a cabinet reshuffle because it is the president`s prerogative, but we will remain guarding every government policy," PD Chairman Hadi Utomo said.

Actually, it is not good for the president to reshuffle his cabinet ministers amid the ongoing investigation of the Bank Century case by a House inquiry committee. SBY needs to be careful in responding to the PD proposal.

According to an expert, a reshuffle this time could disadvantage the president and the Democratic Party. "It will be very counterproductive if the reshuffle is made without a good reason," M Ridwan Rangkuti, a political scientist of the North Sumatra University (USU), said here on Monday.

He said that a reshuffle was basically the president`s prerogative but it should be done on the basis of a minister`s performance, for example, a minister`s performance in his first 100 days in office.

However, he said, if the president is to reshuffle his ministers because the attitude of the ministers` political parties were not in line with the PD with regard to the Bank Century case, the reshuffle would create various negative repercussions.

The more so, if those replaced are ministers who have made good achievements. "This would be questioned by the people," he said.

Being annoyed by coalition parties, the leadership of the Democrat Party has proposed a cabinet reshuffle. PD Secretary General Amir Syamsuddin said the proposal was made when he and two other PD leaders, namely Anas Urbaningrum and Muhammad Jafar Hafsah met the president on Thursday.

He said that the proposal was made in connection with the PD disappointment over the attitude of a number of coalition parties which was not in line with that of the PD with regard to the Bank Century bailout issue.

The political parties whose attitude towards the Bank Century case were not in line with that of PD were particularly the Golkar Party and the Justice and Prosperous Party (PKS).

The House inquiry committee is investigating alleged violations in the extension and disbursement of a bailout fund for Bank Century in late 2008 amounting to Rp6.7 trillion.

The case involves Finance Minister Sri Mulyani as former chief of the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK), the institution responsible for issuing the bailout policy. It also involved the then Bank Indonesia governor Boediono, who is no the vice president.

Golkar Party Chairman Aburizal Bakrie said the coalition of political parties in the government is to build good governance which highly upholds the truth. Therefore, political parties which become members of the coalition must give the right information to the President.

In the meantime, Mukhammad Misbakhun, a DPR member of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction, asked that PD should not mix the position of a minister in the cabinet and that of a House faction member, even though they were in the same coalition of parties.

He said that ministers in the cabinet carried out tasks based on the president`s policies while members of parliament carried out their tasks based on the political parties` policies.

"Political parties have their own visions, missions and programs, despite the fact that they are grouped in the coalition," he said.

Yet, a decision to replace a minister in the cabinet is the president`s right. This was also stressed by the Islam-base United Development Party (PPP), another coalition partner in the SBY government.

"The matter is the president`s prerogative right. If the president thought it was necessary, we have to leave it to him because it is his right to do so," PPP Chairman Suryadharma Ali said on Sunday.

The PPP chairman said his party could not interfere. "The president has the right to replace his minister if he thinks the minister is not capable," he said.

However, the president so far has not talked about a reshuffle. "The president has not yet talked about a plan to reshuffle his ministers. I have never heard him talking about that," PD associate chairman Andi Mallarangeng, who is also the current youth and sports affairs minister, said on Sunday.

He said that anyone could make a proposal for a reshuffle but it would depend on the president.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Radjasa has also previously said President Yudhoyono has no plan to reshuffle the cabinet.

"So far, the president has never talked about a cabinet reshuffle. I hope the media will stop speculating about this matter," Hatta said.

Therefore, Democrat Party chairman Hadi Utomo said the party was leaving the cabinet reshuffle issue to President Yudhoyono to decide because it was the head of state`s prerogative.

"The Democratic Party is not in a position to push for a cabinet reshuffle because it is the president`s prerogative, but we will remain guarding every government policy," he said.

Source: Antara News By Andi Abdussalam

Posted in: Bank Century case,Democratic Party (PD)`s proposal,for example,Golkar Party,Jakarta,minister`s performance,North Sumatra University,President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY)