Insight: Impeachment or Cabinet reshuffle? Neither!

Indonesia’s politics has never ceased to astonish pundits and observers. It has been jumping from one puzzling event to another, within a relatively short period of time. The public was presented with a series of events that were hard to follow, let alone understand. From the clash between “gecko” and “crocodile,” it moved quickly to the Bank Century inquiry, to luxurious prison facilities for convicts, to a bizarre debate on whether it was appropriate or not for a bull to take part in an anti-government demonstration. In the latest turn and twist of Indonesia’s politics, the public has to digest the debate on the impeachment and or Cabinet reshuffle.

All these events have one thing in common. They point to the fact that Indonesia’s political events often provide fertile ground for rumors and speculations. The public is rarely presented with the truth behind the event. For example, we can only speculate about the real story behind the case of the police versus the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The Bank Century inquiry has also led to speculation that some political parties might want to use the process to impeach Vice President Boediono and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Now, rumors and speculations are also rife regarding a Cabinet reshuffle. Some top officials of President Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party, apparently disappointed by what they saw as the disloyal attitude of some coalition partners, began to talk about the need for a reshuffle.

Democratic Party secretary-general Amir Syamsuddin, who proposed this to Yudhoyono, stated that the President “would seriously consider it”. Meanwhile, Presidential spokesperson Julian Aldrin Pasha, while maintaining that the President has not spoken of the matter, quickly added that “the possibility of a reshuffle remains” (The Jakarta Post, Feb. 6, 2010). As a result, we can only guess what the President intends to do.

Impeachment, in any democratic system, is not a trivial matter. Nor is it an easy thing to do.
Anyone who has read Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution would discover the complexity of the process.
More importantly, it should also satisfy a number of requirements before such an act can be carried out. Needless to say, realpolitik at the moment also suggests that an impeachment of the President is highly unlikely. Even the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) stated that it has not found any solid ground for an impeachment. In other words, one should not easily rush to talk about impeachment.

On the other hand, reshuffling the Cabinet is a different matter all together. Unlike the impeachment process, it takes only the President’s decision to do it. It is purely a political act.
However, the excuse of disappointment with the attitude of coalition partners as a reason for reshuffling the Cabinet is not a wise decision.

More importantly, a reshuffle should not be used to pressure members of the Bank Century inquiry committee. They, either from coalition parties or not, should be allowed to perform their duties without any political pressure or threat. They should be allowed to conclude the inquiry without any political interference. The people also expects the committee to carry out its duty in an honest manner and eschew any “political deal” that could obscure the truth.

If the need for a reshuffle is based on the President’s intention to improve the government’s effectiveness, than he by all means should do it, sooner rather than later. The problems facing Indonesia are immense, and the government should get its act together soon. Judging from how the Cabinet has performed during the first 100 days of the second Yudhoyono administration, despite the government’s own claim of success, some changes might be needed.

However, within the current political context, such expectation seems to be far remote from reality. The Cabinet, as we all know, was the result of political compromise and bargaining.

Removing any member of the coalition partners from the Cabinet would put the government in an even more difficult position. It is hard to imagine President Yudhoyono would take that road and antagonize his own coalition partners further. The stake, however, is high for him to continue with the current shape of the Cabinet. So, we can only speculate what the President will do in the crucial weeks ahead.


The writer is the executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).