SBY may not act against scandalous ministers

AntaraPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised to improve the management of his much-criticized leadership in the third year of his second five-year term, which begins next month. The most concrete step he will take is to dismiss problematic and underperforming Cabinet members on Oct. 20, or so he promises.

Last week’s Cabinet reshuffle pledge was the latest of repeated promises he has made in the last two years. However, the market and the public remain skeptical that he will be able to drastically change his publicly perceived weak leadership. The Golkar Party, the second-largest member of his ruling coalition, has warned the President of the risk of changing the Cabinet without full consultation with the party.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a political observer from the Indonesian Survey Institute, voiced skepticism at the President’s ability to replace top aides mired in major scandals ranging from allegations of corruption to adultery and polygamy.

“President Yudhoyono would not dare change the composition of professionals and politicians in his Cabinet. He cares about political stability too much, which makes me pessimistic that the upcoming reshuffle will make the administration better in terms of performance,” he said.

Ministers implicated in corruption cases are under his scrutiny, but those mired in domestic scandals will less likely be subject to change.

“Even if they are replaced, their replacements will very likely come from the same political parties,” Burhanuddin said.

Political observer Arya Fernandes from the Charta Politika Indonesia echoed Burhanuddin’s opinion.

“Yudhoyono will play it safe. He will drop the names of some troubled ministers to the media to trigger internal discussion within the political party of each of the ministers,” he said.

Yudhoyono’s aides will monitor the political parties’ internal discussions to help him pick replacements that the parties would best accept, Arya added.

Public Housing Minister Suharso Monoarfa of the United Development Party (PPP) is currently under the spotlight after his wife reportedly filed for divorce. Suharso allegedly married another woman on the side. Suharso has denied that his wife has filed for divorce.

Suharso may be safe should Yudhoyono fail to negotiate a replacement with the PPP and potentially “upset” the political party. “Yudho-yono wants everybody to stay happy after any political decision he makes,” Burhanuddin said.

Last year, Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi of the Democratic Party was rumored to have had an affair with a TV journalist. It was his wife who reportedly disclosed the scandal. Both Freddy and the journalist strongly denied the accusation.

Several weeks earlier, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Darwin Zahedy Saleh became a hot subject of gossip after Internet media reported that he had been caught having sex with his secretary in a video. Darwin, also from the Democratic Party, also strongly denied the allegation.

Other ministers, like Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng, have been linked to corruption scandals.

However, Democratic Party executive Kastorius Sinaga denied that Yudhoyono, the party’s chief patron, would be hampered by the interests of the government coalition parties.

“Yudhoyono’s consideration will be fully based on the ministers’ performance,” he claimed.