Bringing Bambang Down a Peg
Upset with his huge influence over President Megawati Sukarnoputri, some people want to trim back the power of her man Friday, Bambang Kesowo. One idea being mooted is to separate the post of state secretary from that of cabinet secretary, and thereby halve his authority.
February 5, 2002
Never take a decision quickly if you can take weeks or months about it. That would be an appropriate motto for this government. President Megawati Sukarnoputri, for example, needed nearly one month just to put together a cabinet. Then there were the repeated delays in implementing increases in the price of fuel. But what may have missed everyone's attention is that a planned restructuring of the State Secretariat, a powerful institution next t
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