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Megawati's hand seen in Jokowi's advisory team
Jakarta Globe - September 7, 2014
Concerns about Joko being a mere "puppet president" controlled by Megawati, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), were first raised during campaigning ahead of the July 9 presidential election by rival candidate Prabowo Subianto, but have gained wider traction since the formation of an advisory team by Joko to help ease the transition from the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to his own government.
The selection of Rini Soemarno, an industry and trade minister in Megawati's administration and a member of the PDI-P chairwoman's inner circle, as the head of the team underscores Megawati's influence over the incoming administration, analysts say.
"Regardless of whether or not the rumor is true, Joko needs to be careful," says Karyono Wibowo, the director of the Indonesia Public Institute, a think tank. "Rumors about the Soemarno family controlling the transition team are getting stronger among the public," Karyono warns.
Karyono points to growing indications that Rini's brother, Ari Soemarno, a former president director of state energy company Pertamina, was playing an increasingly central role in the transition team's activities.
Although the Soemarno siblings are considered to have vast experience in both the private and public sectors, Karyono says their influence over Joko might be seen in a negative light, almost as a form of nepotism.
"Dominance by anyone, in any form, may trigger a conflict of interest, and thus may have a negative impact on governance," he says. "Joko must hold fast to his promise to defend the rights of the people."
Eminence grise
Emrus Sihombing, a political scientist at Pelita Harapan University, says there is widespread talk of "a certain kingmaker" directing the transition team's efforts to determine cabinet appointments – but stops short of saying whether this eminence grise is Megawati.
The team has repeatedly evaded reporters' questions about the cabinet lineup, with Andi Widjajanto, one of Rini's deputies, saying last month that discussing the cabinet deliberations was "taboo."
"The political reality is that what's happening behind the scenes, those who think, plan and work behind the political stage, are usually a very solid core team who serve the kingmaker," Emrus says as quoted by Antara.
He notes that the composition of the transition team has never been made fully transparent to the public except for the names of some of its executives and advisers, continuing to fuel speculation that it is either filled with or controlled by people close to Megawati.
Andi, a political science lecturer at the University of Indonesia, and fellow deputy Hasto Kristianto, a PDI-P official, are known to be close to Megawati. Another of Rini's deputies, Akbar Faisal, is a deputy chairman of the National Democrat Party, or NasDem, which is one of the PDI-P's main coalition partners; a fourth deputy, Anies Baswedan, is a lifelong educator and not known to have any party affiliations.
Most tellingly, though, two senior advisers, former Army generals Abdullah Mahmud Hendropriyono and Luhut Panjaitan, are close Megawati confidants. Hendropriyono was the state intelligence chief during Megawati's presidency, and a shadowy figure in the murder 10 years ago this week of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, although he was never formally implicated in the case.
Deferring to Megawati
Megawati was first described as a "kingmaker" following Joko's victory in the Jakarta gubernatorial election in 2012, in which the PDI-P worked with Prabowo's Great Indonesia Movement Party, or Gerindra, to nominate the then-mayor of Solo, Central Java, to lead the capital.
In 2013, her late husband, Taufiq Kiemas, who had advised against Megawati running for president again this year, said that she should instead be a kingmaker once again and give the increasingly popular Joko the party's nomination.
Joko always deferred questions about his candidacy to Megawati. And when his candidacy was formally announced, it wasn't Joko who did so, but rather Megawati. That deferential attitude prompted the accusation by Prabowo and others that Joko was a puppet to Megawati, who wielded the real power.
Emrus says that as long as the transition team continues operating under a blanket of secrecy, the allegations of Megawati's central role in Joko's administration will only continue to strengthen.
He says that it is not so much Megawati as others close to her who are involved in directing or attempting to direct Joko's policies and courses of actions, including Puan Maharani, Megawati's daughter, and PDI-P officials Effendi Simbolon and Maruarar Sirait.
Sidelining volunteers, Kalla
Emrus says it is regrettable that Joko's camp is increasing sidelining the volunteer army of students, activists and academics who powered Joko's election victory at the grassroots level.
In its stead has come the Megawati-loyal transition team – which is now apparently even crowding out those close to Jusuf Kalla, Joko's running mate.
Poempida Hidayatullah, who was fired from the Golkar Party for supporting Kalla, a former chairman of the party, admits that his own role in Joko's team has diminished significantly since the election win and the formation of the transition team.
"I can't actively take part in the team on a daily basis now," he says. "But they once asked for my input on energy issues, including the fuel subsidy."
He also says that Rizal Sukma, a Kalla aide and executive director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, continues to provide advice on foreign policy. But since the transition team was formed, Rizal's name has barely featured.
"I'm not a deputy of the team. Why don't you ask Akbar, Anies, Andi or Hasto?" Rizal said in a text message to the Jakarta Globe when asked to comment on his apparent sidelining by the transition team. Anies and Andi did not respond to the Globe's phone calls for comment on the matter.
Poempida says that just because the transition team refuses to expose to the media their activities every now and then, it doesn't mean that it's because they are actually being directed by some people behind the scenes.
"Their intention [in being secretive] is good. It's so that they can focus on their job and not be easily swayed by pressure from outside," he says.
But Poempida acknowledges that Megawati has her own ideas of who should be in the cabinet, based on political considerations of the parties that backed the PDI-P in nominating Joko.
"But there's no problem with that. It's only normal," he says. "Joko and Kalla are supported by a coalition led by the PDI-P. So why shouldn't the chairwoman be allowed to give some suggestions? That's part of the usual political mechanism."
For his part, Joko has repeatedly denied the allegation that he is being dictated to by others, including Megawati and her sycophants in the PDI-P. He says the transition team is only there to help him decide on priority and strategic policies, and not to decide on the cabinet lineup.
"Whether we will have 34, 35 or only 15 [cabinet] ministers, that will be my decision to make," he said as quoted by Liputan6.com. "Anyone can make suggestions, but I'll decide. That's the prerogative of the president."
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/megawatis-hand-seen-jokowis-advisory-team/.
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