DIGEST No.54
Indonesia's new cabinet - profiles
15 March, 1998
(See discussion of this cabinet in Digest 53).
President - Gen (ret) SUHARTO.
Vice-President - HABIBIE [presently Research &
Technology].
Coordinating Minister for Politics & Security - Gen (ret)
FEISAL TANJUNG [former armed forces commander, German-trained,
close to Habibie; the coordinating ministerships have not been
as powerful as they sound, partly because they have no
independent funding].
Coordinating Minister for Public Health (Menko Kesra)/
Minister for Poverty Relief (Penanggulangan Kemiskinan)/ Family
Planning (BKKBN) (revamped portfolio) - HARYONO SUYONO [retained
as chairman of family planning board in previous cabinet, medical
doctor].
Coordinating Minister for Economy & Finance (Menko
Ekuin)/
Chairman National Planning Board (Bappenas) - Air-Marshall (ret)
GINANJAR KARTASASMITA [chairman of Bappenas in previous
cabinet].
Coordinating Minister for Development Supervision (Menko
Wasbang)/ Minister for Bureaucracy (MenPAN) (revamped portfolio)
- HARTARTO [Minister for Production & Distribution in previous
cabinet, former Trade & Industry Minister, Australian-trained].
Interior - R HARTONO [Information Minister in previous
cabinet, retired top military officer, close to Suharto's
daughter Tutut].
Foreign - ALI ALATAS [retained in this portfolio].
Information - ALWI DAHLAN [64-yrs old, in charge of
Pancasila ideological education BP-7, conservative former
academic educated to PhD (communication) in Illinois 1967].
Defence & Security/ Commander of Armed Forces - Gen
WIRANTO
[former presidential adjutant; combining these two posts is rare
and gives Wiranto unusual power, but it may not last - the armed
forces command may go to Subagyo soon]
Health - FARID MULUK [professor of medicine in
postgraduate
program at University of Indonesia; Gema Madani member - Emil
Salim supporter, technocrat].
Labour - THEO SAMBUAGA [Golkar parliamentarian, once
mooted
as Ambassador to Aus, regarded as close to Tutut].
Finance - FUAD BAWAZIER [Director-General of Taxation in
Finance Department; despite the IMF agreement, he recently
announced Tommy Suharto's cars would get a tax break anyway;
close to the Suharto family].
Cooperatives/ Small Business PPK - SUBIAKTO CAKRAWERDAYA
[retained from previous cabinet, responsible for Tommy Suharto's
BPPC clove monopoly, has said Pancasila Economics are not opposed
to monopolies].
Agriculture - YUSTIKA SYARIFUDDIN BAHARSYAH [has taught
agriculture at various universities for 35 years, 60-yrs old,
first woman minister in a technical portfolio, wife of previous
Agriculture Minister Syariffudin Baharsyah]
Education - WIRANTO ARISMUNANDAR [former rector of
Bandung
Institute of Technology (ITB), when he labelled attempts by
students to revive a central student council as 'communist'
(1994)].
Industry & Trade - BOB HASAN [forest tycoon, one of the
original Suharto cronies, the first Chinese in a New Order
cabinet - alias The Kim Seng - but converted to Islam & is hardly
representative of Chinese]
Transport - GIRI SUSENO HADI HARJONO [deputy chairman of
BPIS, marketing director of DSTP foundation, has confessed to
IPTN being BPIS' biggest loser, involved with a state-run car
design project linked to Australia, Habibie man, respected
professional]
Social Affairs - TUTUT [Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana,
Suharto's
daughter].
Mines & Energy - KUNTORO MANGKUSUBROTO [Stanford-educated
technocrat, former director-general of Mines Dept fired over
resisting corruption in the Busang affair, now senior official
at Investment Coordinating Board - regarded as clean; close to
Ginanjar]
Tourism/ Arts (incl Post & Telecommunications? not clear)
(possibly revamped portfolio) - ABDUL LATIEF [Labour Minister in
previous cabinet]
Forestry/ Plantations (revamped portfolio) - SUMAHADI
[senior Forestry Dept official closely involved with
Reforestation Fund, forest fires, & conversion of forest to
commercial use]
Transmigration/ Forest dwellers (PPH) - Lt-Gen
HENDROPRIYONO
[previously secretary of Operational Control for Development;
'The Butcher of Lampung' for his role in a still uninvestigated
massacre there in 1989; this position for him can only be a crumb
to Abri demands for cabinet participation].
Religion - QURAISH SHIHAB [rector IAIN Syarif
Hidayatullah
in Jakarta, the First Family's chaplain - has led religious
ceremonies in Suharto's home after Mrs Tien's death, has
accompanied Suharto to Holy Land, often prays at Golkar
functions, educated in Egypt, has written books on contextual
interpretation of the Quran, former chairman of MUI];
Justice - MULADI [law professor in Semarang state
university
& member Human Rights Commission; was recently criticised by
Legal Aid Institute for holding a conservative 'communitarian'
rather than individual concept of human rights].
Housing - AKBAR TANJUNG [Housing Minister in previous
cabinet, Generation of '66]
Works - RACHMADI BAMBANG SOEMADYO [a director-general
within
the department; has signed controversial drinking water contracts
with Suharto's children].
Secretary of State - SAADILAH MURSID [Cabinet Secretary
in
previous cabinet, secretary of Suharto-chaired 'private' funding
program for a new jet aircraft Habibie wants to build, on board
of Suharto's private poverty relief program YDSM].
Environment - JUWONO SUDARSONO [deputy-governor of
military
think tank Lemhanas; this appointment must surely be a thank-you
for services rendered in support of the regime thus far].
Food, horticulture & medicine/ chairman of Logistics
Board
(Bulog) (revamped portfolio) - HARYANTO DHANUTIRTO [Transport
Minister in previous cabinet, Habibie man].
Women - TUTTY ALAWIYAH [rector of As-Syaffiyah Islamic
University in Jakarta, prominent Islamic educationalist, Golkar
MP, ICMI member, Majelis Taklim/ Talim, daughter of Betawi leader
Abdullah Syafii].
Research & Technology/ Head of BPPT - RAHARDI RAMELAN
[formerly BPPT deputy chair, has worked in Bappenas, 1960s Air
Force captain, Habibie man].
Youth & Sport - AGUNG LAKSONO [parliamentary Golkar
fraction
chairman, Kosgoro leader, part-owner of ANTeve television
broadcaster, financial backer of Target news tabloid, has been
criticised by democracy activists for editorial interference in
both media, Tutut man]
Investment/ Head of Capital Investment Coordinating Board
(BKPM) - SANYOTO SASTROWARDOYO [retained as Investment Minister
from previous cabinet; in September '97 gave big tax break to Bob
Hasan's Kiani Lestari pulp factory, and helped arrange protection
for Chandra Asri in 1995]
State-owned enterprises (new portfolio) - TANRI ABENG
[American-educated successful indigenous private businessman,
president of Bakrie Brothers, member of newly formed National
Economic & Financial Resilience Council, recently wrote
appreciative introduction to book on Suharto, earlier hints of
business links with Abri, respected by international
business]
Land use (Agraria)/ Chairman Land Board BPN - Maj-Gen
(ret) ARY
MARDJONO [Golkar Sec-Gen, recently quoted defending the govt's
record on democratisation after criticism from National Human
Rights Commission; as it did Muladi, the Legal Aid Institute
criticised him for his 'communitarian' human rights values;
during election campaign spoke against the need for independent
electoral monitoring, regarded as close to Tutut].
Attorney General - SUJONO C ATMONEGORO [deputy attorney-
general, prominent in recent turf conflict with police
department, seemed sympathetic to Iwik, victim of a police
scapegoating attempt in a sensational political case
recently].
Governor Bank of Indonesia - SJAHRIL SABIRIN [retained,
recently replaced Sudradjad Djiwandono who had rejected the
currency board, 55-year old graduate from Vanderbilt University,
USA, has worked at World Bank]
No announcement, rumoured as follows:
? Sec of Cabinet - SAADILAH MURSID [secretary of cabinet in
previous cabinet, combined with secretary of state]
? Chairman of financial watchdog BPKP - Lt-Gen (ret) PUJONO
PRANYOTO [retired Lt-Gen, deputy chairman of MPR, governor of
Lampung, South Sumatra].
? Chairman of Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) - YOGIE SM
[Interior Minister in previous cabinet, has image of being
ineffective]
? Chairman of financial watchdog (BPK) - Gen (Pol, ret) KUNARTO
[presently its deputy chair, former chief of police].
Gerry van Klinken, editor, 'Inside
Indonesia' magazine.
