13th January 2001:
With Cabinet Reshuffle rumors swirling around in the background, the members of the Pancasila Coalition came to the Presidential Palace. Chairman of DPR Harmoko, Wahono, BJ Habibie, Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama Abdurrahman Wahid, Chairman of Muhammadiyah Amien Rais, and Chairman of PPP Matori Abdul Djalil came one by one to the palace where President Try Sutrisno sat down with them.
These were how their days turned out.
BJ Habibie:
Habibie came to the Palace knowing that his close friend Wardiman Djojonegoro was going to lose the Minister of Education’s position. His was not a long meeting with the President. He came out saying that the President laid down the aim of the reshuffle and that was to have a “strong two remaining years in the term”. When asked how his “guys” went, Habibie said that the reshuffle has not been finalized but said that he was no longer Chairman of ICMI so he had nowhere the influence that he had before.
When he got home, he was surprised to find none other than Prabowo Subianto waiting for him. Prabowo told Habibie not to sell himself short and that he was certain that if Soeharto had lived and gotten re-elected at the 1998 MPR Session, Habibie would have been elected as vice president. Habibie said he doesn’t live in “what ifs”. When Prabowo said that he will make sure that Habibie has a place in “My sister-in-law’s Government”, Habibie cut him off.
“I don’t appreciate that someone from your end convinced Gen. Feisal, a good friend of mine, to conduct that interview; I don’t appreciate that there was a movement on your end to unseat me as Chairman of ICMI”, said Habibie “Given the choice between the President and Tutut, I know who I can trust more.”
Amien Rais:
The conversation began well enough with Amien Rais agreeing profusely that the Government had to have a strong final 2 years. Amien proposed that Muhammadiyah, being an educational institution, should get the Minister of Education’s position. Amien even went as far as nominating Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Malik Fadjar as Minister of Education. The President countered with some names that he was considering with Amien for Minister of Education though not committing to any.
Amien Rais too was visited by Prabowo. Prabowo said that he was trying to “make mischief” by trying to cause a distraction and get the President to either do a bad or a half-assed reshuffle. Amien chuckled at that but said that at this point in time, he’s not interested in leaving the President’s coalition. Amien said that he’s against the Soeharto family and right now the only one strong enough to take on the Soeharto family is President Try.
“I’m part of that family too,
Mas Amien”, said Prabowo “But I too think that their business activities can be excessive and ought to be curbed.”
“I know that,
Mas Bowo”, replied Amien “Which is why my condition for joining your side is the same as it was in 1998 and 1999 when you approached me: have someone more credible that you intend to pur forward as a presidential candidate.”
“We both know that’s not possible”, said Prabowo “My sister-in-law must have her opportunity.”
“She already has nearly 3 years ago and she lost”, replied Amien.
“From a standing start,
Mas Amien, and with nowhere the power and support she has now and she will continue to build”, countered Prabowo.
Amien and Habibie refused to budge in the face of Prabowo’s offer. The difference between Amien and Habibie was that Amien took the effort to step outside his house and see Prabowo off. With cameras on him, Amien said that he was just observing courtesy by seeing off. Deep inside, however, Amien hoped he could be successful in pressuring the President into appointing a Minister of Education who was to Amien’s liking.
Abdurrahman Wahid:
Wahid’s nose twitched mischievously and he had a wry smile on his face when the President told him about the meeting with Amien, commenting only that Amien loves his “intrigues”. He said NU members will be happy wherever the President places them though he advised that he thinks State Minister of Female Empowerment and Childrens’ Welfare Khofifah Indar Parawansa should get a full term in her present position.
“I wanted Megawati to be in our coalition, Mr. President, I really did. But I was wrong. People might say that she didn’t because you didn’t approve of her withdrawing her minister from your cabinet but I look at it differently. But I didn’t get a sense that if things were different, if she had a choice,that she would’ve joined our coalition.
Mbak Mega’s path was always set. It was why Soeharto was afraid of her and had to remove her. Her path was always set. That Soeharto died does not matter. Whether it is you or Habibie or Harmoko or Tutut, she was always going to come for the presidency.
Tutut’s path is unfinished. Her father prepared it for her and now she’s trying her hardest to finish laying down that path in time so that she can take the chair you’re sitting now. Soeharto’s death came at a crucial time. Financial Crisis aside, if he was alive, he would have picked Habibie as Vice President and installed Tutut as Chairwoman of Golkar. And then he would unseat Habibie as Vice President, make Tutut his Vice President and that’s it…that’s the succession as Soeharto would have wanted it set in stone.
But your path…yours is the path that I want to know. Do you merely want to have a strong “two remaining years” in the term or do you want to go beyond that? This nation does not need the second coming of Soekarno or Soeharto.”
Wahono:
Wahono, whose supporters held the Minister of Legal Affairs, Minister of Information, Post, and Telecommunications, and Minister of Public Works’ positions, was predictably content with what he had though he had some words other members of the Pancasila Coalition.
*Harmoko is expecting his “guys” to do well in he reshuffle. He believes that since Habibie’s not the Chairman of ICMI anymore and because ICMI’s withdrawn from the coalition, all of Habibie’s supporters in the cabinet ought to be removed.
*Habibie’s power is waning and while Harmoko is right that his supporters should lose ministerial seats, the President should show appreciation to Habibie in one way shape or form.
*NU and Muhammadiyah will keep an eye out for how much each other’s getting so giving one a ministerial seat means the other has to get one as well.
*Don’t add to the amount of PPP seats in the cabinet in case they do well in the next election and ask for more.
*Sudharmono’s supporters don’t deserve an additional seat owing to the neutral stance that Sudharmono has taken since late last year.
Matori Abdul Djalil:
Matori opened the meeting by letting the President know that Prabowo has been meeting with Habibie and meeting with Amien Rais. The President’s eyes narrowed at that. Matori told the President that he tended to follow Abdurrahman Wahid’s lead that there be no changes to existing arrangements as far as the NU, Muhammadiyah, and the PPP were concerned. The President agreed with him.
When he came out, Matori said that everything was the prerogative of the President and, when asked about how much the NU and Muhammadiyah are getting, announced that the President envisions no additional ministerial positions for NU and Muhammadiyah.
Harmoko:
Though their conversation began pleasantly enough, Wahono’s information proved correct. Harmoko wanted all of Habibie’s supporters to be removed from the cabinet because Habibie “does not have anything to contribute” to the Coalition anymore. Harmoko said he wanted another supporter in the cabinet. To the Chairman of DPR’s surprise, the President revealed that he wanted to remove one of Harmoko’s supporters because this supporter is underperforming. Harmoko said that he wanted “compensation” in the form of another Harmoko supporter.
Over Harmoko’s protests, the President said that he can’t guarantee “compensation” but that if there is space to accommodate another Harmoko supporter, he would give it. Harmoko nodded though he still looked dissatisfied though he calmed himself down. The meeting did not last long after that.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Harmoko was escorted by State Secretary Edi Sudrajat to his car. On the walk there, Harmoko told Edi about his discussion with the President.
“If there is a longer term purpose to what the President is doing now, I’ll be happy with whatever arrangements he has for me and my supporters in the reshuffle”, said Harmoko.
“What do you mean by that, Mr. Chairman?” asked Edi.
“A longer term purpose”, said Harmoko “I intend to run in the 2002 Legislative Elections next year, I intend to get re-elected to a DPR seat, and I intend to get re-elected as Chairman of DPR. What about the President’s longer term purpose? He needs to know that and then make his final choice for the reshuffle.”
As Harmoko disappeared into his car, Edi said to himself that hell must have frozen over because he just found himself strongly agreeing with Harmoko.
The final guest of the day was Basofi Sudirman. Basofi brought with him polling data. Though it contained numbers about how the PKPI would fare against the PKPB, PPP, and PDI, Try was most interested in the PKPI’s head-to-head figures with the PKPB across the province.
Basofi reported that the PKPB was strong in Kalimantan, owing to Secretary of Golkar turned Secretary of PKPB ZA Maulani’s influence. Try nodded even as one figure that caught his eye.
“Why is the PKPI and PKPB neck and neck at Yogyakarta?” asked Try “I can understand Central Java, but the Sultan’s one of our own.”
“He is, Mr. President”, replied Basofi “But Yogyakarta is also President Soeharto’s home province and the man still has some popularity despite the fact that he’s deceased.”
14th January 2001:
That Sunday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ginandjar Kartasasmita got some face time with the President who was accompanied by Edi Sudrajat. Ginandjar reported that President Yevgeny Primakov will visit Beijing this upcoming week and sign the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship with President of China Jiang Zemin. Yet Ginandjar knew that the President had something more local in mind. From the Presidential Palace, Ginandjar went immediately to his patron, former Vice President Sudharmono.
“He’s not going to replace me or Kuntoro”, said Ginandjar mentioning the Minister of Civil Service Reform Kuntoro Mangkusubroto “But he’s not going to add anymore of our group either because you’ve decided to be neutral in what’s going on between him and Tutut.”
“That’s fine, knowing that he can’t move against you is good enough for me and you both are doing a good job anyway”, said Sudharmono “We’ll do what Habibie can’t and be a neutral party. I’ll commit the two of you to being his ministers but I won’t be seen as attacking Tutut. We’ll stick to this course until and when the time is right, we’ll have everyone asking us for their support.”
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The Four Horsemen gathered at Edi Sudrajat’s house. Their minds and their discussions fixed on their friend who lives in the Presidential Palace.
“Has he made up his mind yet?” asked Minister of Home Affairs Harsudiono Hartas.
“The First Lady has told me that the President’s spending more time going over ministerial candidates’ CVs than with her”, said Edi.
“Who sits in the reshuffled cabinet won’t matter if he can’t make up his mind on the bigger question here”, countered Harsudiono.
“Be patient, I’m sure he’s thinking hard about things”, said OCDS Sugeng Subroto.
“In a way, the need to have this reshuffle is fortunate”, added Chief of BAKIN Ari Sudewo “He’s been forced to think about his future. Who he chooses will reveal not only what he would do next but also how he thinks about his prospects.”
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“
Mas Try, are you playing with your grandchildren or are you thinking about who’s going to be Minister of Education again?” asked First Lady Tuti Setiawati.
The President seemed to snap out of his trance and began to play badminton with his grandchildren again. Tuti watched with a smile though a lot of things also floated through her mind.
“You’ve been President for just over 3 years. I know both the good things that you can do for this nation but also the burden that comes with your responsibilities. I couldn’t be more proud of you and yet, I couldn’t be more aware that your work is far from over…
It’s all right, Mas Try. I give you my permission. I give you my permission to continue your work. I give you my permission to prepare for your re-election.”
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That one was more of a character development chapter than anything though I have some notes to give.
Amien Rais has for lack of better word, a strong opportunist streak in him. OTL, He was for
Reformasi in 1998 but was willing to consider a coalition with Habibie for the latter’s re-election in 1999 before finally throwing his support behind Abdurrahman Wahid for the presidency and then ending up standing against and hitting the gavel on Wahid’s dismissal from office in 2001. So I’m basing him trying to pressure Try to give one of his guys the Minister of Education’s position and considering an anti-Try coalition if the conditions are right on his OTL characteristics.
Wahid's prediction on how Soeharto plans to eventually hand over the presidency to Tutut is based on
https://books.google.co.id/books?id...CxUQ6AEILTAA#v=onepage&q=wahid sobary&f=false (3rd paragraph down)
ITTL Harmoko is doing better than his OTL counterpart. First because he’s still the Chairman of DPR (OTL, it ended in October 1999) and second because his OTL abandonment of Soeharto (he asked for Soeharto’s resignation in May 1998 after pushing for his nomination in January 1998) has been butterflied away. Try and his inner circle has come to accept him as a reliable ally in their struggles against Tutut.
Up next is the Reshuffle.