Jakarta – Political experts are pleased at the possibility the next Cabinet will be filled with more professionals, but are worried that the inclusion of representatives from opposition parties may reduce the efficacy of its checks-and-balances mechanism.
On Saturday, an anonymous source revealed to Antara news agency a number of potential candidates to be picked by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as ministers in his 2009-2014 presidential term. The list included more professionals than the current Cabinet.
Yudhoyono had talked with the Golkar Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the source said. These parties are not part of the political coalition established by Yudhoyono's Democratic Party for the recent elections.
"The possibility of having opposition party executives (in office) could greatly affect democracy," an expert from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Siti Zuhro, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
"The coalition at an executive level would run parallel to the one at the legislative level, in this case the House of Representatives.
"The main question is now who or what should carry out the checks-and-balances if the House can no longer be expected to play that role wholeheartedly?"
Siti was surprised to see some of the most lucrative and strategic posts, such as that of the energy and mineral resources minister (allegedly going to PDI-P secretary general Pramono Anung) being allocated to party executives.
"Strategic and lucrative posts should only be given to non-partisan professionals who have no interest whatsoever in using their post as a cash cow for the 2014 polls," she said. "We do not want to see a repeat of the Laksamana Sukardi case when he was in charge of state-owned companies."
Under Laksamana's supervision, state-owned oil company Pertamina sold two tankers in 2004, a transaction that may have cost the country some US$50 million in loses.
An expert from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, Ari Sujito, shared similar sentiments with Siti, saying there was a political motive behind Saturday's unofficial announcement of ministerial candidates.
"I believe Yudhoyono was testing the water to see how the PDI-P, Golkar and Gerindra would react towards the possibility of ministerial posts," he said.
"Yudhoyono also used the announcement to see the response of (PDI-P chief patron) Taufik Kiemas on his possible endorsement as the next People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker." The key was now in the hands of Taufik and (his wife and PDI-P chairwoman) Megawati Soekarnoputri, Ari said.
"If they accept ministerial offers, then the next question will be as to the future of the House checks-and-balances mechanism," he said.
"I believe the PDI-P bloc will not be as critical as it is right now if some of its executives become ministers," Ari said. While rumors about possible minister candidates have been circulating, Yudhoyono insists that the formulation of the Cabinet will only begin after Oct. 1.
There was no such thing as a "political broker", Yudhoyono also said Saturday as quoted by Antara. "I firmly say this: No one should act as a political broker and give out promises. With all my weaknesses, I don't need any political brokers," he said. (hdt)