Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Tensions are rising within the coalition government as some ministers are dismayed by their poor grades in a recent appraisal sparking calls for a Cabinet reshuffle.
National Mandate Party (PAN) secretary-general Taufik Kurniawan said Friday the results of the evaluation should have been "strictly confidential" and should not released to the public.
Kurniawan directed his anger at Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, chief of the Presidential Work Unit for Development Monitoring and Control (UKP4), who announced the results.
"If the UKP4 set parameters for the evaluation, there would not have been any problems," said Taufik, who is also a House of Representatives deputy speaker. "They should have upheld the principle of transparency from the beginning," Taufik added.
Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar, who is also a PAN politician, is one of the three ministers in the media spotlight after Kuntoro announced last week that his ministry was among 10 ministries or state institutions given "red marks" for failing to meet the prioritized targets of the 2010 national development programs.
Other ministers under fire for "red marks" are Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring, a Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician, and Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto, who claims no party affiliation.
Kuntoro also gave poor mid-year evaluation grades to the National Coordinating Agency for Land Surveys and Mapping (Bakosurtanal) and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
PKS deputy chairman Mahfudz Siddiq blamed poor performance in ministries and state institutions was a result of state budget constraints. "Why should there even be a mid-year evaluation? I've only heard of an evaluation after the first 100 days of a new government," Mahfudz said.
House Speaker Marzuki Alie, who a politician within President SBY's Democratic Party, said the evaluation reports should have been submitted to the President alone.
Marzuki said he rejected the idea that Yudhoyono would replace non-performing ministers, saying they needed more time to prove themselves because a half year was barely sufficient.
Calls for a Cabinet reshuffle call came from Golkar Party deputy chairman Priyo Budi Santoso, who later retracted his statements, saying he did not know who the poorly performing ministers were. Golkar is a member of the six-party ruling coalition.
University of Indonesia (UI) political observer Boni Hargens said SBY should not dismiss the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle if some of his ministers are not performing.
He defended the UKP4's move to publicize the appraisal results, and said it was in line with the principle of transparency and good governance.