Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's call for his ministers
to resign their posts if they are preoccupied with preparing the 2014 election
rings hollow, as he himself is active as chairman of the Democratic Party's
board of patrons.
Many have said that his call to
ministers was part of his public relations campaign.
"President Yudhoyono warning
against ministers whose political party activities take precedence over their
roles as government officials means little considering he still serves as the
chief patron of his Democratic Party. He contradicts his own statement,"
University of Indonesia's political analyst Iberamsjah said yesterday.
Iberamsjah called on Yudhoyono to
set an example by resigning from the Democratic Party.
"It would have been more
meaningful if the President had resigned from his position in his party before
making the statement. It is now only seen as a public relations campaign to
improve his standing," he said.
In his speech prior to a Cabinet
meeting at the presidential office late last week, Yudhoyono suggested that
ministers who were too busy with their political campaigning ahead of the 2014
election should resign.
The President also warned his
aides against conspiring to abuse the state budget. Yudhoyono said that
ministers must share the blame if one of their subordinates should be arrested
for graft.
Of Yudhoyono's 34 ministers, 18
are from political parties including three party chairmen, Religious Affairs
Minister Suryadharma Ali of the United Development Party (PPP), Coordinating
Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Manpower
and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar of the National Awakening Party
(PKB).
Rajasa is the only minister who
makes no effort to conceal his presidential ambition.
Iskandar said that he was not the
target for Yudhoyono's statement.
"But I can understand if
ministers are expected to only focus on works in the government," he said.
Ali also shrugged off the
suggestion that he was singled out by Yudhoyono.
"There's nothing unusual
about the President's statement. It was a message that he has to get
across," Ali said.
Tjahjo Kumolo, secretary general
the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said
Yudhoyono's statement in fact pointed to a contradiction within his government.
"The President should have
been aware when appointing politicians as ministers in the first place of the
probable consequences," he said.
Kumolo said that he should have
understood that politicians must work for the prosperity of their political
parties.
He said that Yudhoyono's
statement reflected Yudhoyono's efforts to pass the buck if the government
fails to perform well.
Deputy secretary general of the
People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), Saleh Husin, said Yudhoyono's call would
likely fall on deaf ears.
"Yudhoyono appears
uncomfortable with the presence of some ministers in his cabinet and wants them
to resign but he only has the courage to issue indirect statements. I think it
won’t work. He’s made similar statements in the past, but nobody
resigned," he said.
Husin said the statement could
instead point to an internal rift in his cabinet.
Lawmaker Didi Irawadi Syamsuddin
of the Democratic Party said Yudhoyono's statement must be seen as a warning to
some cabinet members.
"They run ads touting the
success of their ministries, but focus on the personality of the
ministers," he said.
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