Febriamy Hutapea – Were they politically motivated appointments made to secure and preserve power, or a political compromise designed to create a government that would work well together?

Political analysts and observers on Wednesday had differing opinions on whether President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's new clutch of ministers would be effective, but most agreed that politics was the main consideration behind the appointments.

Sukardi Rinakit, from Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicate, a political think tank, called the new team a "friendship cabinet" because only a few of the ministers matched the positions they were appointed to. Most, he said, were only chosen because they were close to Yudhoyono.

"I'm dissatisfied with the current cabinet because it's far from what we expected," Sukardi said at a discussion on Wednesday organized by the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

The new cabinet announced late on Wednesday night contained few surprises and was largely as had been predicted since the president began interviewing candidates over the weekend.

Lawmaker Burhanuddin Napitupulu, from the Golkar Party, said there seemed to have been no clear mechanism used to select the ministers.

"Although Yudhoyono has the prerogative to appoint anyone to his cabinet, there should at least be a clear structure in setting it up," he said, adding that the strategic way to have done it would have been to appoint loyalists and professionals rather than coalition members.

A number of analysts have said over the past few weeks that Yudhoyono's landslide victory in the July presidential election, with 60 percent of the vote, should have given him the mandate to build a strong government. Several surveys came out saying the public preferred professionals running the ministries, instead of the usual career politicians.

Sukardi said fewer than five ministers had expertise in their new positions, while 20 came from coalition partners and the rest were believed to have a personal relationship with the president.

DPD member Bambang Soeroso said that he had hoped the new ministers would be people who could hit the ground running. "We're just worried that they won't be able to quickly address problems," he said.

But having career politicians in the cabinet could also have its advantages. Mustafa Edwin, deputy chairman of the Shariah Economic Community Council of Experts, told Antara news agency that the appointment of Hatta Rajasa as the coordinating minister for the economy was a good move because the former state secretary was deemed capable of ensuring much-needed coordination among the economic team.

Mustafa said the new ministers should be able to create good chemistry in their offices and with other ministries. "They should be supported because this government is elected under the mandate of the people," he said.

Sukardi conceded during the discussion that ministerial positions were political in nature, but said party politics was better left to the legislature.

"With this composition, Yudhoyono only thought about consolidating power, without having critics or conflict in the cabinet," he said, adding that it was a very Javanese style of leadership.

Citing several former lawmakers who had failed to win re-election but secured jobs in the cabinet, Sukardi questioned why the president chose figures who had already been rejected by the public.

Former House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono, from Golkar, and former lawmaker Patrialis Akbar, from the National Mandate Party (PAN), both failed in their re-election bids in April but received cabinet posts.

Agung is the new coordinating minister for people's welfare and Patrialis the justice and human rights minister.

According to Sukardi, the new cabinet could be represented by a pyramid wherein a small number of qualified and professional people occupied the top, while most of the ministers – the unqualified ones who got their posts for political reasons – sat at the bottom.

Regardless of how the cabinet was formed, critics and supporters alike expressed optimism the new ministers would work well together. "I'm still optimistic that the next cabinet will be better than the last one," Burhanuddin said.

Sukardi said that with the cabinet set up to ensure the smooth running of the next government, he was confident that the next administration would at least be stable.