SBY only includes Boediono in reshuffle talk

JAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says he will only consult with Vice President Boediono on the details of a planned Cabinet reshuffle prior to its execution.

“As the President, I reserve the privilege to appoint my ministers. And I will only involve the Vice President to offer input,” Yudhoyono said at the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta on Tuesday.

“We are still working [on the reshuffle plan],” he said.

The statement was conveyed after several media sources published the names of ministers who are expected to be replaced, and officials expected to be appointed to ministerial posts.

Yudhoyono, however, declined to comment on the names circulating in the media.

“The information is not from me. I don’t know about those names,” he said.

Yudhoyono added that he had had a bad experience when he planned to carry out a Cabinet reshuffle in 2009.

“Many people were angry with me and I think some are still upset,” he said.

The President said he would replace some of his Cabinet ministers this month in order to form a better team for the remaining three years of his term.