Cabinet reshuffle timely: NU chairman

Jakarta, NU Online
Political observer Prof Katjung Marijan of Airlangga University (Unair) said now was the right time for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to reshuffle his cabinet if he plans to do so.

"If he is willing to reshuffle his cabinet, now is the time because it only has 3.5 years left. It will be too late if he waits for one or two more years," he said here on Monday.

He said if the president did not carry out <>a cabinet revamp he would continue to face the same problem which so far had been created by his coalition partners.

Katjung said a cabinet shake-up which was followed by the coalition`s restructuring was needed to ensure government stability so that it would work more effectively.

He said a cabinet reshuffle should be made a momentum to renew its commitment and improve coordination among political parties supporting the alliance, two things which so far were proven to be weak.

"Ideally, a coalition must be in one home, under one roof and have one door. What happens so far is that each of the coalition members has its own home and door so that a common policy is not created," Katjung was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

He said it should be acknowledged that Yudhoyono`s coalition now was still confined to power-sharing, not a coalition built to achieve a common goal.

Therefore, fragmentation within the coalition, where each political parties has its own interest, could not be avoided, much more coordination was weak.

"Commitment and coordination must be improved which could be done by excluding political parties which so far did not fulfill their commitment," he said. (dar)