PKB calls for reshuffle, eyeing three Cabinet posts

Jakarta, NU Online
More parties are calling for a reshuffle of Cabinet, with the National Awakening Party (PKB) saying Sunday it is eyeing three ministerial posts.

"The President should replace about half of his ministers if he wants the Cabinet to perform better," PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar was quoted as saying by the state Antara news agency.

He added that the party was preparing at least three candidates to take up places in the Cabinet should a reshuffle occur.

The current Cabinet has a "lack of crisis and emergency sense, poor performance, as well as poor coordination amongst ministries", Muhaimin said. He cited the slow handling of transportation accidents and disasters in the country, such as the Lapindo mudflow disaster in Sidoarjo, East Java, as evidence of this.

Muhaimin suggested the President replace Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa, Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah and State Minister for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions Saifullah Yusuf.

"We are in an emergency situation, but as we can see the government paces slowly in mitigating the series of disasters that are taking place in the country," he said.

"The Social Services Minister is helpless facing disasters. Meanwhile, Saifullah Yusuf is more concerned about his political career instead of doing his ministerial tasks," he added.

Muhaimin denied his party's demand for a reshuffle was motivated by the desire to fill ministry posts.

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has also entered the debate, saying the President should reshuffle Cabinet to shift extra attention to economic affairs.

"The state's economic team doesn't have the 'X' factor, with many people still unemployed, surging poverty and a sluggish real sector, despite (our) abundant natural resources," PKS president Tifatul Sembiring was quoted by the detik.com news portal.

The PKS, he said, wanted the positions of Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare and Finance Minister to be replaced.

The President should objectively respond to reshuffle suggestions and disregard pressure from political parties, Tifatul said.

He said his party was not looking for any Cabinet seats that would be made available in any reshuffle.

Meanwhile, Golkar's Agung Laksono, the House speaker, said he supports the reshuffle "if the President wants it to happen in order for his Cabinet to perform better".

Earlier, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla called for an end to pressure for a Cabinet reshuffle.

Yudhoyono said his administration was doing its best to solve the many problems currently facing the nation and any discussion of a Cabinet reshuffle would only confuse that effort.

"A Cabinet reshuffle could happen if I deem it necessary, but it can't be done every day, every time, as it would disrupt our work," he said.

After two and a half years in power, Yudhoyono has only reshuffled Cabinet once, in December 2005, replacing a number of ministers mostly in his economic team. (tjp/dar)