16th April 1999:
The President ended his day by with dinner with Chairman of DPA Rudini. He asked Rudini for his advice on various issues. He saved the issue of the reshuffle till last.
“I know you’re considering the politics already, Mr. President, so I won’t bother you there”, began Rudini “I would like to point out that you’ve got a fair few ministers on the wrong side of 1940. Yes you want experience but you want your ministers to have the energy too. This reshuffle is happening because Ali Alatas ran out of energy, after all.”
“But suppose, I ask you to give me political advice, what would you say as a former Army Chief of Staff to a former Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Chairman?” asked Try.
“Do the political calculations but don’t get caught up in it because there’s work to be done”, said Rudini “Yours is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Mr. President, get the people you appoint right, not just the politics.”
17th April 1999:
Try Sutrisno attended prayers at Istiqlal Mosque, this Saturday being the Islamic New Year. During the prayers, Try noticed the camera trained on him. During these occasions, the seat immediately to the president’s right normally belonged to the vice president. But JB Sumarlin being Catholic, that seat went to the next in line in the order of precedence, this being Chairman of DPR Harmoko. On this particular day with all the political speculation, Harmoko seemed to enjoy his seat on Try’s right hand side.
When the ceremony was over, Try was crowded by the press on the way out of the mosque to the Presidential car.
“Mr. President, it’s been a twisting and winding road but now we are at a point where we will be having a cabinet reshuffle?”
“First of all, I would like to wish Indonesians all around the country a happy Islamic New Year. Secondly, I don’t know what twisting and winding road you’re speaking about, so far as I know I’ve only approved Minister Ali Alatas and Minister Sutjipto’s resignations yesterday”, explained Try “What speculation and excitement there has been is entirely of your own doing.”
“Who will be appointed to these two positions, Mr. President?”
“We’re getting ahead of ourselves don’t you think?” asked the President.
At Megawati Soekarnoputri’s house in South Jakarta, Megawati celebrated the Islamic New Year with her supporters making special mention that Outgoing Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development Sutjipto will be returning “to the fold”. When asked by the media throng outside who should be his successor, Sutjipto said that that is for the President to decide but that he would recommend a minister who could devote his full attention to the nation’s infrastructure, housing, and cities.
At the Presidential Palace, Try met consecutively with the leaders of the three political parties. He first met with Chairman of the PDI Soerjadi who all but offered himself to be a minister. He then met with Chairman of PPP Ismail Hasan Metareum who said that the PPP was happy having one slot as minister held by Khofifah Indar Parawansa.
Lastly, there was Chairwoman of Golkar Tutut. Tutut recommended Hartono as the new minister of foreign affairs. In listing all Hartono’s talents, Tutut also made specific mention of the fact that Hartono was an ICMI member and that Habibie would be pleased to have another ICMI member in the cabinet, especially as minister of foreign affairs. Try politely told Tutut that he will take it under consideration.
By afternoon, the President and the First Lady had departed for the Presidential Palace at Bogor to get some distance from Jakarta. Try took State Secretary Edi Sudrajat, Deputy State Secretary Soedibyo Rahardjo, Cabinet Secretary Hayono Isman, and OCDS Sugeng Subroto. As a concession to the fact that this was a public holiday, Try allowed the families of the aforementioned officials’ families to come along and stay at the Presidential Palace.
Try and his senior staff members went to work immediately when they arrived and finished quite late. There was no formal division of roles in terms of discussing the ministerial candidates but broadly speaking, Edi looked at credibility, Soedibyo focused on the political impact, Hayono related the candidate as to the policies that remained to be done in the term, with Sugeng Subroto playing devil’s advocate whenever there’s a disagreement to a candidate.
18th April 1999:
Try began the day at Puncak accompanied by the First Lady and some of his children enjoying the mountainside views of the tea plantations and interacting with tourists and locals alike. By the time he returned to Bogor Presidential Palace, the President was ready to make a call.
“…hope everything’s well with you and your wife and of course you’ll understand why we can’t meet directly”, said Try.
“Of course, Mr. President. Your enemies will have a field day if they knew you consulted me”, replied the voice of Benny Moerdani.
The two began talking about the present reshuffle.
“If I was to ask you for input, what it would it be, General?” asked Try.
“What you don’t want to do is throw another bone Harmoko or Habibie’s way” replied Benny.
The old general explained it in detail. Giving another cabinet spot to a Harmoko supporter meant rewarding him for losing the chairmanship of Golkar. Harmoko was not as powerful as he was when he was both Chairman of the DPR/MPR and Chairman of Golkar. In actuality, there’s little reason for Harmoko to benefit from the reshuffle.
Benny told Try that he has done enough to court Habibie’s support. Benny said that if Try wants another Habibie “guy” in the cabinet in a way that asserts the President’s authority.
“The big winner in the cabinet can’t be them”, said Benny “Think someone else. Someone who’s already on your side but still thinks their guys are not getting their due.”
“Like who?” asked Try.
“Think, Mr. President”, encouraged Benny “You probably didn’t even realize it yourself but you inadvertently broke this person’s power base. His guys has still got some government posts but compared to the old days, it’s nothing because he doesn’t control the administrative center of the government anymore.”
“The old State Secretariat…Vice President Sudharmono”, said Try.
“Correct”, agreed Benny “If you want anybody to throw a bone at, and a big one at that, it should be at Sudharmono or one of his proteges.”
After lunch, Try was visited by Chairman of ICMI BJ Habibie. Try was getting familiar with Habibie’s routine: all charm, all friendliness, but no commitment. Try offered him a position in the cabinet just to see how he would react and as expected Habibie shrunk from the offer. To be a minister meant abandoning his neutrality and giving full backing to Try. Habibie made a request instead.
“If I may, Mr. President, I would like you give the Head of the BPPT’s position to an ICMI cadre”, asked Habibie “Maybe I’m sentimental but that was the first agency I was put in charge of and I would like to see it in the hands of someone familiar to me.”
The meeting ended with Try and Habibie shaking hands with each other in front of the cameras.
After Habibie, the President was joined by Vice President JB Sumarlin. They met for 30 minutes. Sumarlin came out with the news that the President was still finalizing the reshuffle but assures the markets that the Minister of Economics and National Development Planning, the Minister of Finance, and the Governor of BI will remain.
After his meetings, Try had another session with his senior staff members. They stopped just before dinner with a short list of names at which point Hayono Isman and Soedibyo Rahardjo, along with their families returned to Jakarta.
---
After dinner, Try met with his Four Horsemen, with Minister of Home Affairs Harsudiono Hartas and Chief of BAKIN Ari Sudewo now having joined at the Presidential Palace. They thankfully didn’t pester Try about who will be in or out, preferring to let the President reveal his course of action.
“I will be naming two ministers from within the cabinet to fill the two vacancies”, said Try.
“That means you’ll have to appoint someone to the posts they’ve left behind”, said Edi.
“I sure do”, said Try “I’ll be doing that and slightly more.”
“What of Habibie and Harmoko?” asked Harsudiono “Will they be increasing their share in the cabinet?”
Try spoke of his conversation with Benny Moerdani. The room was quiet as the Four Horsemen took in Benny’s advice.
“If I may disagree”, began Ari Sudewo “The purpose of supporting Harmoko now is to show that yes, he does enjoy the President’s support and that he has enough of the President’s ear to be represented in the cabinet. Otherwise, we better start praying that Tutut doesn’t move against him in the DPR.”
“I tend to agree with the Chief of BAKIN on whether or not there’s a place for one of Harmoko’s”, said Try quietly “And I tend to agree with General Benny on whether or not there’s a place for another one of Habibie’s in the cabinet.”
“As far as Sudharmono’s boys go…”, began Edi before not knowing how to put a complicated thought into words.
“There’s a lot to be considered here”, said Harsudiono “If Harmoko is unhappy with you, the odds of him going over to Tutut are small because he can’t handle the defeat at Tutut’s hand, the same with Habibie, he too can’t stand Tutut. Sudharmono and his bunch on the other hand, they’ve still got some power. If they get angry, they can do some damage.”
19th April 1999:
Try, accompanied by Edi Sudrajat and Commander of Presidential Bodyguard Abdul Rahman Gaffar, took the opportunity of being in Bogor to drop in to the Bogor Land Office where he had conducted a spot check two and a half months ago just after opening hour. To his surprise, things had not changed. One member of the public that had seen Try on that spot check said that things only got better for a week after Try’s inspection but then got worse again. Try thanked the people present at the office for their report and then returned to the Bogor Presidential Palace.
Cameramen and news reporters had gathered at the Presidential Palace in Bogor to record the happenings. The President’s first meeting of the day was with Minister of Civil Service Reform Rachmat Witoelar. This one lasted 40 minutes before Rachmat Witoelar emerged out of the meeting.
“The President has asked me to conduct minor amendments to the existing organizational charts of government departments that policy areas that had not been paid attention to thus far will be accommodated after the reshuffle”, said Rachmat Witoelar before disappearing inside his ministerial car and heading back to Jakarta.
Next, Minister of Information, Post, and Telecommunications Ginandjar Kartasasmita went in for a meeting with Try. This one was longer, lasting a good 90 minutes. The gathered media throng was surprised when it was Try and Edi who emerged out of the meeting first, when asked for details, Edi referred the press to Ginandjar before getting inside the presidential car with Try and heading back to Jakarta.
“The President has asked me to inform you that the cabinet reshuffle will be announced tonight and that he is now on his back to Jakarta to contact those he wishes to join his cabinet and his government”, announced Ginandjar.
---
Jakarta meanwhile was anticipating any news and development about the reshuffle.
Sutjipto had already said his farewells at the Department of Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development by mid-morning. Meanwhile, Ali Alatas had a special luncheon held in his honor by the diplomatic corps in Jakarta before bidding a tearful farewell to colleagues and staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
All throughout the day, government ministers were bombarded with questions over their fates by the press as they appeared at events or walked from one meeting to another. Most said something about such decisions “being a matter for President Try” or that they were just “going about their jobs as usual”.
Harsudiono Hartas quipped that as a general rule, the people who are staying put are those who have not been summoned by the President. It’s those who are changing positions, for better or for worse, who will be finding themselves summoned by the President.
JB Sumarlin kept indoors for most of the day but made the mistake of appearing at the Vice Presidential Palace’s cafeteria and was mobbed by the correspondents stationed ther. He was forced to hold an impromptu press conference.
“Is it true that the President will be prioritizing political considerations in this reshuffle?” asked a reporter.
“I can give you an emphatic no to that question”, said Sumarlin “And I can say that because he’s told me about some names that he has chosen and I can assure you, these names reflect the President’s commitment to the mandate which he had secured March last year.”
---
From hour to hour, from minute to minute, stories spread through Jakarta about who President Try was calling on the phone or summoning to the Presidential Palace.
Those who were not part of the intrigue but who were technologically savvy took to message boards and mailing lists to make their guesses as to who will be safe, who will be promoted, and who will leave the cabinet.
At the end of the day all had to wait for the official announcement.
---
Memo to the Security and Intelligence Division Director at Singapore
President Try Sutrisno has tonight (19th April 1999) announced his much anticipated (at least among the politically conscious and the diplomatic corps) cabinet reshuffle. After rumors that Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas’ retirement had been resurrected and with Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development Sutjipto also looking to resign so that he could focus on being Megawati Soekarnoputri’s enforces, Try has moved fast, not wanting to let the matter drag on.
For the purposes of this memo and because Try has included them as part of the reshuffle, we will be mentioning the heads of the agencies who are affected by the reshuffle though they are not strictly speaking ministers.
The following are the cabinet changes:
Leaving the Cabinet:
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas- Retirement
Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development Sutjipto- To become a political assistant to Megawati Soekarnoputri
Minister of Forestry and Environment Ardans- Appointed Vice Chairman of the DPA
Minister of Workforce and Small Business Oetojo Oesman- Appointed Ambassador to Australia
Minister of Health Broto Wasisto- Appointed President’s Envoy to the UN for Millenium Development Goals Affairs
Head of BPN Bambang Kesowo- Appointed Secretary of DPA
Promoted From Within the Cabinet:
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Prof. Dr. Ir. Vice Mshl. (Ret.) Ginandjar Kartasasmita
Our sources at the Palace indicates that there was a consensus that Ali Alatas’ successor ought to be a career diplomat. But such was the political nature of this reshuffle that Try had promoted Ginandjar Kartasasmita to this position. Ginandjar was thought to have been unhappy at being Minister of Information, Post, and Telecommunication and unhappy when Try ordered him to not to put his name forward for the chairmanship of Golkar. Ginandjar has the talent, intellect, and exprience to be successful in this role. This appointment will further cement Try and Ginandjar’s alliance, forged when Ginandjar brought over a bloc of around 80 votes to Try at the 1998 MPR Session.
Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development: Ir. Rachmat Witoelar
Given that he has a degree in civil engineering, Rachmat Witoelar was the logical choice. Try reportedly told him to focus solely on his role as minister and not “look twice” at Golkar matters when giving him the appointment.
New Faces in the Cabinet:
Minister of Information, Post, and Telecommunications: Anak Agung Oka Mahendra SH:
Oka Mahendra was a five term DPR member prior to his not being re-elected to the DPR in 1997 and was in fact the youngest DPR member when he was first elected in 1971. He has also been Deputy Secretary of Golkar from 1983-1988. He was part of that vocal DPR batch serving between 1987-1992 which called for the DPR to have more power. He will take over this role from Ginandjar Kartasasmita. This appointment is a nod towards Wahono, the former Chairman of Golkar that sympathized with criticisms towards Soeharto from within the regime. Adds to geographic balance by virtue of his being Balinese.
Minister of Forestry and Environment: Barnabas Suebu SH
Barnabas Suebu is a career provincial politician in Irian Jaya but is best known as a former Governor of Irian Jaya (1988-1993). A policy concern of his during this time as governor has been forest and environmental degradation in his home province, to the point that he ceased issuing logging licenses. He is presently a member of the National Education Advisory Council. Our sources in the palace said that Try noted Barnabas’ dissatisfaction the way forests and the environment are being treated in Indonesia during their phone interview and said afterwards “We need people who are dissatisfied with the way our natural resources are still underutilized in charge of said natural resources”. Adds massive geographical balance through his Irian Jaya background.
Minister of Workforce and Small Business: Fahmi Idris SE:
Fahmi Idris is at present a Golkar member of nearly 15 years and a successful businessman. His membership is rather passive because he has only been appointed an MPR delegate during that time. Has strong New Order credentials because he was a student demonstrator participating in anti-Soekarno protests in 1966. Though a Harmoko supporter in the 1998 MPR Session and succeeds another Harmoko supporter in Oetojo Oesman, he could not be classified as an unambiguous pro-Harmoko figure. As an ICMI member he would be acceptable to Habibie and as being someone who is pro-indigenous Indonesia businessman, he would share an affinity with Ginandjar. He is in Try’s own words someone who is “Acceptable to all and ticks all the boxes.”
Minister of Health: Prof. Dr. dr. Azrul Azwar MPH
Azrul Azwar is an academic turned Department of Health bureaucrat. He is a graduate of the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Medicine where he is a professor of community medicine and Dean at the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Indonesia. He has high stature within the community of health practitioners both at home and abroad, having served as Chairman of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) (1988-1991, 1994-1997) and Vice President of the Medical Association of ASEAN. He presently serves as Director General of Community Health (1998-now). The President turned to Dr. Azrul on account of the latter’s more ambitious policy goals and because he will add further geographic balance in the cabinet, the new Minister of Health being of Acehnese origin.
Minister of Civil Service Reform: Dr. Ir. Kuntoro Mangunsubroto:
Kuntoro is a career bureaucrat and has had a broad bureaucratic experience ranging from the State Secretariat (1983-1988), the Department of Mining and Energy (1993-1997), the BKPM (1997-1998), and most recently as the Head of the BPPT (1998-now). He has also been the CEO of Indonesia’s state-owned coal company PT Bukit Asam (1988-1989) where he increased productivity and the CEO of Indonesia’s state owned tin company PT Timah (1989-1993). Kuntoro is a respected bureaucrat within Indonesia and also an ally of Ginandjar, having been the latter’s staffer in the 1980s. Kuntoro will succeed Rachmat Witoelar.
Head of the BPN: Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Yusuf Kartanegara
The only ABRI appointment in this reshuffle falls to Yusuf Kartanegara. Yusuf had only retired from his military career in November 1998 and had been serving as a director general in the Department of Defense and Security since March 1998. His appointment as the Head of BPN is an attempt to bring the National Military Academy (AMN) Class of 1966 into the fold. Yusuf himself was an officer in intelligence, having reached the peak of his career as the Head of the ABRI Intelligence Agency.
Junior Ministers:
The reshuffle also saw Try resurrect the positions of junior ministers. In his speech Try said that given the reorganization of departments had taken place last year, some departments’ responsibilities have become so large that there are aspects of those departments’ responsibilities that had not been adequately addressed yet. Junior ministers will belong in a government department and have responsibility over specific policy areas, they are as follows:
Junior Minister of Finance: Drs. Marzuki Usman MA
Marzuki Usman is a career bureaucrat at the Department of Finance, most famous for his stint as Head of Indonesia’s Stock Market Supervisory Agency (Bapepam) (1988-1992). He will be put in charge of coordinating IBRA and Bapepam as well as other matters regarding the financial sector; in other words, those parts of the Minister of Finance’s job that does not have anything to do with fiscal policy.
Junior Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Utilization: Bacelius Ruru SH, LL.M
Much as Marzuki Usman, Bacelius Ruru traces the beginnings of his career to the Department of Finance. Since 1995, his focus had always been state-owned enterprises first as Director General of State Owned Enterprises (1995-1998) at the Department of Finance, then Head of the State-Owned Enterprises Utilization Office at the State Secretariat (1998-now). This appointment to junior minister status reflects Try’s increasing priority in improving the state-owned enterprises’ performance.
Junior Minister of Research and Technology: Ir. Indra Bambang Utoyo
Indra Bambang Utoyo is the son of former Army Chief of Staff Bambang Utoyo presently serving as a DPR member. An exports-imports businessman, Indra served two terms as Chairman of the Children of Retired ABRI Members Communications Forum (FKPPI), an organization whose memberships are restricted to children of retired ABRI soldiers. His present role will absorb the Head of BPPT’s role. His appointment is very much political; he is seen as Try’s attempt to gain a foothold in a constituent that would perhaps be friendly towards Tutut.
Junior Minister of Cooperatives: Dr. Ir. Muslimin Nasution
The joke going around Jakarta at the news of his possible elevation was that he would be the “oldest junior minister”, Muslimin Nasution being 60 years old. Much as most of his junior minister colleagues, Muslimin is a career bureaucrat with assignments in cooperatives policy. Presently he is the Head of Research and Development at the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Cooperatives (1987-present). Is an ICMI member though characterized as liberal.
Junior Minister of Urban Development: Ir. Giri Suseno Hadihardjono
Giri Suseno is a career bureaucrat from the Department of Transportation, reaching the peak of his career there as Director General of Land Transportation (1984-1991). After that he was recruited by Habibie and became the latter’s right hand man at BPIS as its Vice Chairman. When Habibie resigned after he was defeated for the presidency, Giri became the Acting Chairman of the BPIS until Sintong was appointed Chairman of the BPIS. Giri was appointed to this position on account of his advocacy for a public transport system in Jakarta though this position will entail him looking at urban development as a whole.
Junior Minister of Rural Development: Agung Laksono
Though a businessman by trade, Agung Laksono is better known for his organizational experience first as Chairman of Indonesia’s Young Generation (1984-1989) which is Golkar’s Youth Organization, then Chairman of the Indonesian Young Businessmen’s Association (1983-1986), and most recently as a Vice Chairman of Golkar (1993-1998). Our source at the Palace said that Agung will fulfil two purposes: first will be to accelerate rural development and identify that rural development with the government and second, he will be looking to draw those still undecided in Try’s “cold war” with Tutut to Try’s cause. A Harmoko supporter at the 1998 MPR Session but ended up voting for Try. He will leave his DPR seat to join the cabinet.
Some Remarks:
-Those who were removed from the cabinet rather than resigned were removed for reasons of regeneration. Try wanted to remove some of the older members of the cabinet to have more energy around the table with him and also to avoid another scenario like that of Ali Alatas’ resignation and avoid the cabinet reshuffle that comes with it. Our sources say he removed Oetojo, Ardans, and Broto Wasisto but avoided removing Minister of Education Wardiman Djojonegoro and Minister of Mining and Energy Djiteng Marsudi because those two are “getting some interesting work done”.
-Only Bambang Kesowo at the BPN was removed for poor performance, having not improved a land office in Bogor after Try had visited it.
-Ginandjar’s elevation to minister of foreign affairs is the big promotion in the cabinet. His position is further strengthened by the elevation of Kuntoro Mangkusubroto into the cabinet in addition to former National Development Planning Agency subordinate Gunawan Sumodiningrat holding the Head of BPS’ post. Though considered a protégé of former Vice President Sudharmono, this elevation as well as that of his allies has meant that Ginandjar has become a political force in his own right.
-The other winners in the reshuffle are the civilian “soft-liners” (The Ministers of Legal Affairs; Agriculture, Food, and Cooperatives; Industry, Research, and Technology; and Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development) who now add the new Minister of Information, Post, and Telecommunications as an ally.
-How Harmoko’s supporters fared: Retained the Minister of Workforce and Small Business’ position. Added the Junior Minister of Rural Development’s position.
-How Habibie’s supporters fared: Retained the Minister of Education and the Chairman of the BPIS position. Added the Junior Minister of Cooperatives’ position.
-The Vice President is a quiet winner in the reshuffle. Two of the junior ministers are career bureaucrats who reached prominence when he served as Minister of Finance (1988-1993).
-The appointments of Agung Laksono and Indra Bambang Utoyo are interesting for the fact that it represents an effort to gather support from constituents that naturally would have an inclination to support Tutut. These constituents being undecideds in the Try/Tutut conflict in Golkar and the children of ABRI reitrees.
