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Jokowi promises better coordination in transition
Talking politics: President-elect Joko âJokowiâ Widodo (left), chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction at the House of Representatives, PDI-P lawmaker Puan Maharani (second left) and her mother Megawati Soekarnoputri (second right), chairperson of the party, exit on Sunday from a meeting hall at a plush hotel in South Jakarta where the three and vice-president elect Jusuf Kalla held a meeting
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span class="inline inline-center">Talking politics: President-elect Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo (left), chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction at the House of Representatives, PDI-P lawmaker Puan Maharani (second left) and her mother Megawati Soekarnoputri (second right), chairperson of the party, exit on Sunday from a meeting hall at a plush hotel in South Jakarta where the three and vice-president elect Jusuf Kalla held a meeting. JP/DON
President-elect Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo said on Sunday that his transition team would carry out preparations for when he takes over the reins of power in a more orderly manner.
'We have sent letters to [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's] coordinating ministers. If any team member steps out of bounds, the [current] government can warn him,' Jokowi said on the sidelines of a meeting with members of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) political faction at the House of Representatives at the Dharmawangsa hotel in South Jakarta.
Jokowi's statement was made in response to an earlier statement made by Yudhoyono in which he said that he was bothered by a meeting that took place between the transition team and Vice President Boediono to discuss plans to modify some of Yudhoyono's government programs as well as the structure of the presidential institution.
During Friday's plenary Cabinet meeting, President Yudhoyono said that any meetings or coordination between Jokowi's transition team must be first cleared by the Coordinating Economic Minister Chairul Tanjung, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto and State Secretary Sudi Silalahi ' the three points of contact in his Cabinet agreed to with Jokowi during their recent Bali meeting.
Yudhoyono also emphasized that it was not appropriate for any team member to ask his Cabinet to discuss the current government's policies.
Jokowi said on Sunday that the transition team's job was only to collect data and information on problems faced by several strategic ministries in the current government, so that the upcoming government could immediately craft the right solution.
Meanwhile, vice president-elect Jusuf Kalla said he would make sure that in the future, members of the transition team coordinated with the three points of contact appointed by Yudhoyono.
'I am aware that some individuals [from the transition team] had previously asked too many questions. It will not happen again as meeting will be arranged with the coordinating ministers or state secretary first,' Kalla said.
Kalla also pledged that the transition from the outgoing government to the new government would proceed without a hitch.
He further said that any communication between members of the transition team and the current government was a part of the transition process and could not be categorized as intervention.
'The transition team has its own opinion [about the government]. There is nothing wrong with that,' Kalla said on the sidelines of the same meeting.
One Sunday, senior party leaders, including PDI-P chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri, PDI-P faction leader Puan Maharani and transition team head Rini Mariani Soemarno, joined Jokowi and Kalla in a meeting held on the sidelines of an event held to celebrate Puan's birthday.
PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto said that politics was not discussed during the event.
'She [Puan] only discussed how she had carried out her duties as faction leader. We did not talk about the transition team during the meeting,' Hasto said.
Hasto also denied the suggestion that members of the transition team were trying to influence the decisions of the current government.
'No one on the team can coordinate with the current government aside from its chairwoman,' he said, referring to transition team chairwoman Rini. (idb)
