September 23, 2014 edition

A COMMOTION broke out during a cabinet meeting at the State Palace on September 5, just as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono mentioned the subject of operational funds for ministers. The agenda of that closed meeting was to discuss the work program for the last six months of the current administration, which will end on October 20.
According to one government official who attended the meeting, the ministers and their deputies in attendance started asking one another about the amount of operational funds they got. "And they didn't know how to account for them," said one official. To reduce the noise level, President Yudhoyono struck his gavel on the table. "Ladies, gentlemen"

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More Cover Story articles in other editions

September 16, 2014 edition

THE plenary cabinet meeting at the president's office on Friday afternoon two weeks ago was a bit different than usual. A total of 38 ministers and their deputies were in attendanceexcept for Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik, who was named an extortion suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) two days earlier.
In the meeting room, protocol officials were busy bringing in extra chairs for the meeting participants. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Boediono entered the room at 3pm. When he opened the meeting, the president stated that the meeting's agenda was very important, which was why all of the ministers and their deputies had been invited. "I will explain what we have to do to help Pak Jokowi's team," said Yudhoyono.

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September 9, 2014 edition

IT was sundown when Taufik Noor Isya crossed the Indonesia-Malaysia border at Entikong, West Kalimantan, and headed for Kuching in Sarawak, two weeks ago. An hour later, just as Taufik, an Indonesian police liaison officer with the rank of commissioner, reached the town of Serian, his cellular phone rang. Although the number was unfamiliar, he took the call.
It was an officer in the Royal Malaysian police, who informed him that they had arrested two Indonesians at Hotel Citadines in Kuching city. They also told him that the two were members of the Indonesian police, who produced proper ID cards during their questioning. "But I did not believe it at first," Taufik told Tempo, who met him at Kuching last week.

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January 1, 1970 edition

As someone who is used to efficiency, Joko Widodo expects to be running a competent cabinet following his October 20 inauguration. This is why his transition team contains a working group whose work is solely to come up with the right ministerial structure. So far, he has been given five options: maintain the cabinet with 34 ministries, cut it down to 27 ministers, set up 20-24 ministries or a cabinet based on Sukarno's Trisakti ideology and lastly, a merger of the four concepts.
In the merger option, for example, the Agriculture and Fisheries ministries will be merged to become the Food Sufficiency Ministry. But all that is currently being studied. Jokowi will wait until September 15 before assigning his selected candidates in the cabinet he has opted for. His deputy, Jusuf Kalla on the other hand, is more daring, preferring the 34 ministries as the ideal structure.

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August 26, 2014 edition

IN the luxury of the 26th floor of the five-star Grand Hyatt Hotel in Jakarta last week, Prabowo Subianto watched the special televised announcement that dashed his hopes of winning the 2014-2019 presidency. The Constitutional Court's panel of judges declared that charges of electoral fraud submitted by Prabowo was unsubstantiated, re-validating the win by his rival, Joko Widodo.
Accompanying him on that fateful Thursday evening was his running mate Hatta Rajasa and the elites of supporting parties. They were Golkar Party Chairman Aburizal Bakrie, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Anis Matta and United Development Party (PPP) Chairman Suryadharma Ali. The parties' secretaries-general and two senior politicians, Golkar's Akbar Tandjung and National Mandate Party's (PAN) Amien Rais, were also present, their eyes glued to the television monitors around the room. Of the 4,390-page verdict, the Constitutional Court chief justice read only the main points from 261 pages.

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August 19, 2014 edition

THE off-white house at Baciro, Yogyakarta, was the 'crime scene' that put Muhammad Yamin on trial by a military tribunal. Sixty-eight years ago he was charged with planning a coup at the house that at the time belonged to Sundoro Budhyarto Martoatmodjo.
In his defense, later published in the book Sapta Darma in 1950, Yamin said he was charged with issuing four maklumat, letters of declaration, which were presented to Sukarno on July 3, 1946. Yamin, who was born in Talawi, West Sumatra on August 22, 1903, was tried by the court, along with other defendants.

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August 12, 2014 edition

ON the Lebaran (Idul Fitri) holiday at the end of the fasting month, Joko Widodo's political calendar showed no slack. After praying at the mosque, he visited the home of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri and the home of National Democrat (NasDem) Party Chairman Surya Paloh. He then summoned some of the senior members of his campaign team to the official residence of the Jakarta governor in Menteng, Central Jakarta. Those who attended that meeting two weeks ago were Rini Soemarno, Andi Widjajanto, and Hasto Kristiyanto.
Jokowi repeated his previous statement that as the declared president-elect by the General Elections Commission (KPU) on July 22, he wanted to form a transition team. The Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration will end on October 20 and on that same day the new president will be inaugurated by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). This team's duty is to synchronize the old programs with the new. "I have to move quickly because there is not much time," Jokowi said, citing his reason for the urgent task.

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