Cabinet reshuffle? Maybe but not now

JAKARTA. Many have begun to question whether there will be a reshuffle of President Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono’s Cabinet, but party leaders from the government coalition say Yudhoyono has yet to talk to them about the plan.

National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Hatta Rajasa, who is also the Coordinating Economic Minister, said Yudhoyono had not yet invited him to talk about a Cabinet reshuffle.

“If there would be changes to some ministerial posts, [the President] must talk to coalition party leaders first, but this has not happened,” Hatta said on Monday.

Aburizal Bakrie, chairman of the Golkar Party, the biggest ally of Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party, has yet to be invited to such a talk either, said party executive Lalu Mara.

“I have talked to Pak Aburizal on this matter and he said yes, he had met with the President numerous times but they were talking about development policies, not a Cabinet reshuffle’,” Lalu said.

Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum — who has been implicated in corruption allegations centering on the party’s former treasurer, Muhammad Nazaruddin — also said he had not talked to Yudhoyono on the issue.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha denied a statement by presidential special staff Daniel Sparingga that the reshuffle would take place within three weeks.

“[The president] is still evaluating ministers’ performances. I do not know if it would end with a Cabinet reshuffle.

“The President is aware of the recent situation. He will consider and decide what is best,” he said.

Julian declined to comment when asked if leaders of coalition parties would be involved in the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle. “Political aspects would not have much influence.”

The government has established a joint secretariat to accommodate input from its six coalition parties on government policy issues, including a change of the President’s ministerial aides.

Nineteen of Yudhoyono’s 34 ministers are politicians from the six coalition parties.

The number of votes each party gained during the 2009 elections determined the number of ministerial posts given to the party, but Yudhoyono also talked with the six parties’ leaders before he decided on who his aides would be and inaugurating them in October 2009.

Anas, however, said the agreement to have the President talking with coalition party leaders prior to a Cabinet reshuffle was not binding.

“I think the President is not obliged to hold such meetings because it is his authority to determine his aides. The President also has comprehensive assessments on the performance of each of his ministers.”

Some of Yudhoyono’s ministers are now mired in scandals ranging from graft allegations to broken marriages.

Public Housing Minister Suharso Monoarfa from the PPP has currently been under the spotlight after his wife reportedly filed for divorce.

At least three Cabinet ministers, are under scrutiny for graft allegations: Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng from the Democratic Party, Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi (Democratic Party) and Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar (PKB).

PAN’s Patrialis Akbar, Law and Human Rights Minister; Golkar’s Agung Laksono, the Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister; and PKS’ Tifatul Sembiring, the Communications and Information Technology Minister, are also under the spotlight for their poor performances.

“I will accept it should the President decide to remove me from my position. It is his right to evaluate his Cabinet [members],” Andi said.

A survey by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) showed on Sunday that the public approval rating of Yudhoyono’s current Cabinet performance dropped significantly to 37.7 percent this month from 52.3 percent in January 2010. The LSI said the decline was attributable mainly to corruption cases implicating some of the ministers. (Bagus BT Saragih and Nani Afrida/The Jakarta Post)