Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Anita Rachman & Fidelis E. Satriastanti, Jakarta – Talk of a cabinet reshuffle has reached a fever pitch on the eve of the first anniversary of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's re-election.
The president is believed to be evaluating his ministers, and everyone from activists to diplomats to lawmakers is talking about who could and should be replaced.
Bambang Susatyo, from the Golkar Party, said the cabinet lacked talent. "For the sake of improving the cabinet's performance, the president must have a reshuffle," he said.
A Golkar source said the party wanted to see career diplomat Marty Natalegawa dumped because it wanted the foreign minister post for itself. It also wanted to see Tifatul Sembiring, the communications and information technology minister, removed, but the source did not say why.
He said Golkar's MS Hidayat was ready to take on the position of coordinating minister for economic affairs, now held by Hatta Rajasa of the National Mandate Party (PAN), and it had someone in mind to replace Tifatul.
Romahurmuzy, deputy secretary general of the United Development Party (PPP), has criticized the cabinet's performance on the economy, security and law enforcement, but is not sure a reshuffle would solve the country's woes.
Commenting on law enforcement, he said the government only targeted political opponents, while those from the inner circle were given a free hand.
He said if the problems could be fixed without a reshuffle, well and good. But if the evaluation showed one was needed there should be one, regardless of who the minister was or what party he or she came from.
PAN is confident of retaining its ministerial posts, rating its ministers as the best performers in Yudhoyono's cabinet. Tjatur Sapto Edy, the PAN chairman in the House of Representatives, said Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan, Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar and Hatta, all from the party, were "doing their best to serve the country."
But Chalid Muhammad, from the Green Institute, said the government must replace Zulkifli because he had failed to implement the 2009 Law on Environmental Management and Protection. He said the ministry continued to provide concessions to logging companies despite its frequent statements of wanting to preserve the environment.
The group said the government was lax on environmental issues and called for better environmental policies and consistency in implementing them to preserve the country's resources.
The opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) challenged the president to have the stomach to replace incompetent ministers. "Based on our observations, nine ministers have performed badly. We are certain the president knows who they are," said the PDI-P's secretary general, Tjahjo Kumolo, while refusing to name them.
Younger members of the PDI-P have expressed an interest in having a better relationship with the government. Some want the party to seek cabinet posts, while its chairwoman, Megawati Sukarnoputri, has told members to stay the course and abide by an April party congress decision to stay outside the ruling tent.
Ramadhan Pohan, from the president's Democratic Party, said a cabinet performance evaluation did not necessarily mean a reshuffle would follow. "However, after a year I think it is appropriate to have one," he said.
Ramadhan said that if there was a reshuffle, the president would consider ministers' performance and not which party they came from.
[Additional reporting by Antara.]