Robert Go, Jakarta – Without clear leadership at the top, Indonesia's bureaucracy could break down over the next two lame-duck months, analysts warned. The predictions came despite assurances from senior officials at various ministries, who claim the government will carry on despite impeachment proceedings against President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Business consultant Bara Hasibuan, who was vice secretary-general of Dr Amien Rais' National Mandate Party (PAN) until early this year, told The Straits Times: "This has been a lame-Gus situation as this government has not functioned properly for the last few months.

"Ministers have been too preoccupied with defending the President." The bureaucracy, Mr Bara argued, could run itself for the short term, but failure to fill the vacuum at the decision-making level would be catastrophic. "Priorities have been neglected. Short-term things, like revising the budget and hiking fuel prices, are in danger of being seriously mismanaged," he said.

The problem, according to political analyst Kusnanto Angorro of the Centre for Strategic International Studies, goes deeper than ministers scrambling to save the President. "Gus Dur has been an ineffective president because he filled the Cabinet with political appointees instead of proven professionals," he said.

The results of poor management at ministries will show up in the next two months as the country awaits a special session of the MPR that is expected to force Mr Abdurrahman out, Mr Kusnanto said. "The regular folks, those operating in the informal sectors, will go on as before. But activities that depend on consistency and stability in government policies will suffer further in the next two months, and during the transition that will follow," he said.

Officials at various ministries, however, defend their results so far and continue to blame the transition – from an autocratic regime under former President Suharto to a democracy – for most problems. Mr Anggito Abimanyu, a top aide to Finance Minister Priyadi Praptosuharjo, said: "We work for the public, not parties or individuals. Our responsibility is carrying out the long-term economic recovery agenda. Ministers are easy-come, easy-go. That doesn't affect our jobs."

Another top official from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy also said things would go on as usual during the coming transition. "... Ultimately, ours is a long-term agenda that has a much longer scope than any presidential term. Wait a few years to start seeing the results," he said.