Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Legislators have called into question a recently issued presidential decree that orders the appointment of more advisers and raises the post of adviser to the ministerial level.
The decree, revealed at a hearing on Monday between House of Representatives Commission II, which oversees domestic affairs, and Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam, increases the total number of presidential advisers and envoys from 12 to 14.
"Why does the president like doing stuff like this?" asked Budiman Sujatmiko, a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). "For us, this decree is just about sharing out power," he said.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Dipo said the president had discretionary power to create the new posts as he saw fit. He denied that the increase would be a waste of money, arguing that the officials named to the posts were all capable and effective.
"The cost increase is tiny when you consider their effectiveness and the input that they give to the president," Dipo said. "Don't put a rupiah value on it. The advisers have resolved a lot of issues at both the national and international level." He did not elaborate on what those issues were.
He also denied that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was surrounding himself with more advisers to make up for a waning trust in his ministers. At least two cabinet members, the sports and manpower ministers, have been implicated in graft cases recently.
Dipo said this was not the reason for the increase. Rather, he said, the president understood that it was important to have highly skilled and competent lobbyists at hand when dealing with foreign governments and institutions.
In addition to the increase, the presidential decree issued earlier this month also raises the status of the advisers to ministerial level.
It also formalizes the appointments of four of the advisers as special envoys. T.B. Silalahi has been named the special envoy for the West Pacific; Nila Anfasa Moeloek the special envoy for the Millennium Development Goals; Rachmat Witoelar the special envoy on climate change; and H.S. Dillon the special envoy for poverty alleviation.