POLITICAL INTRIGUE IMPERILS BAPETEN'S CHAIRMAN JOB

S E C R E T JAKARTA 005072


DEPT FOR EAP/IET; PM/NE
DEPT PASS TO DOE/NNSAA/RHIBBS AND
DOE/NA-25/HUIZENGA/TITTEMORE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/28/2014
TAGS: TRGY AORC KNNP KTIA IAEA ENRG PREL
SUBJECT: POLITICAL INTRIGUE IMPERILS BAPETEN'S CHAIRMAN JOB

REF: A. STATE 107497

B. STATE 76578

C. JAKARTA 1119

D. JAKARTA 02943

E. 03 STATE 270587

F. 03 STATE 303744

G. 03 JAKARTA 12094

Classified By: EST&H OFFICER ANTHONY C. WOODS FOR REASON 1.5 (b, d)


1. (C) Summary: Chairman of the Nuclear Energy Control Board
(BAPETEN) Dr. Djaloeis (please protect) confided to us 25
July that political intrigue involving one of his deputies
and the State Minister of Research and Technology Hatta
Rajasa, and a previously unknown radical Islamic group called
Tharbyah posed a threat to his position. Djaloies said,
however, that a vigorous defense of his past accomplishments
and future plans for the agency in a letter sent to President
Megawati convinced her to extend his tenure beyond the
customary retirement age of 60. This could well be a
sensationalized tale of ordinary bureaucratic infighting.
Djaloeis said the upcoming presidential elections meant his
future beyond that remained uncertain. Given Djaloies has
played a pivotal role in enhanced bilateral cooperative
efforts between Indonesia and the USG on a range of
nuclear-related issues of importance to the U.S. We would
hope any successor would not setback our nascent cooperation.
End Summary.

Background
--------------


2. (U) Dr. Djaloeis, who became Chairman of the Nuclear
Energy Control Board (BAPETEN) April 4 last year, reports
directly to the President. He has three key assistants: i)
Deputy for Nuclear Safety Assessment, Azanatio Lasman; ii)
Deputy for Administration, and Executive Secretary, Sukarman
Amin Joyo; and iii) Deputy for License and Inspections,
Suharto Zahir. Usually, the Chairman and his deputies are
nominated together to ensure a harmonious and effective team.
However, although Djaloies nominally reports to the
President, on certain procedural issues he actually reports
through the State Minister for Research and Technology, Hatta
Rajasa, whose ministry coordinates all technical agencies,
including BAPETEN, that deal with science, technology and
research.

Retirement
--------------


3. (C) Djaloeis told EST&H officer 25 May that recent
political intrigue, perhaps encouraged by his putative
imminent retirement, could imperil his tenure at the agency.
He said that as far as he knew, he had no issues with his
colleagues and indeed considered them friends and even part
of his family. He noted, however, that as his 60th birthday
approached (May 9, 2004),the customary civil service
retirement age, two of his deputies, Zahir and Joyo expressed
anxiety about his potential successor. He confided that he
was puzzled by Lasman's silence on the issue but thought
nothing of it then. Djaloeis revealed to Zahir and Joyo his
intention to request a year's extension (a common procedure
in the Indonesian civil service) and they agreed that he and
all three deputies should solicit Minister Rajasa's views.

The Appeal
--------------


4. (C) Djaloeis said that after he had defended his record
and presented future plans for BAPETEN to Rajasa in the
presence of his deputies on 4 January, the Minister assured
him that he would recommend approval of his request to extend
to the President. However, with no response by mid February,
Djaloeis said he and two of his deputies revisited Rajasa.
Rajasa surprised the group by declaring that he did not have
a say in Djaloeis' extension. Instead, he pointed to Faisal
Thamin, the State Minister for the Utilization of State
Institutions, as having jurisdiction over civil service
appointees. Pressed for further clarification, Rajasa
abruptly stated that the President would make the final
decision. Djaloeis said Rajasa rejected his request to
present his case directly by letter to Megawati, insisting
that it had to be sent through Rajasa's office. However,
after sending the letter through Rajasa on February 26, he
could never confirm receipt of the letter by Rajasa.

The Deal
--------------


5. (C) Djaloeis said his scheduled departure for the Nuclear
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) meetings in New York forced him to
be proactive to avoid unpleasant surprises during his
absence. Thus he met separately with each of his deputies to
remind them of his friendship, emphasize his record at
BAPETEN, and solicit their continued support. Of the three,
only Lasman demurred, and when pressed, he confessed that
Rajasa planned to replace Djaloies and make him Chairman.
Lasman explained to a shocked Djaloeis that the plan emerged
from a deal between the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS),
headed by Hidayat Nur Wahid, and the National Mandate Party
(PAN),led by Amien Rais. Asked how he got Lasman to reveal
such damaging information, Djaloeis opined that Lasman
appeared consumed by unease and guilt regarding his apparent
betrayal and thus could bear his secret no more.

What Lies Beneath
--------------


6. (S) Djaloeis made further allegations to us regarding the
whole affair. He said a good friend of his (he did not
divulge the name) had previously been a cell member of the
"radical Islamic group Tharbyah," and disclosed that the
organization was behind the plot. The former insider alleged
that PAN is actually a front for the extremist organization.
The informant told Djaloies that Tharbyah (Islamic Spiritual
Education) had recently expelled him because he did not show
the absolute loyalty demanded of its members. Finally, the
source alleged that Lasman is a high-ranking member of
Tharbyah. Djaloies concluded that since Hatta is PAN's
Secretary General, it explained his involvement in the
scheme. He said the plotters had viewed his putative
retirement on May 9 2004, his 60th birthday, as the perfect
opportunity to secure the top job for one of their own.

Rearguard Action and Success
--------------


7. (C) Djaloeis said that on the day of Lasman's revelation,
he sent the same letter he had drafted for Rajasa directly to
Megawati. Two days later, on 22 April, he said another of his
deputies (Joyo) confirmed Djaloeis' proposed ouster from
Rajasa's personal secretary, Dr. Ashwin Sasongko. Joyo also
revealed that on 23 April, he and Zahir unsuccessfully tried
to persuade Lasman to delay his ambitions for two to three
years. On April 24, the day of his departure for the NPT
conference in New York, Djaloies met with all three deputies
and warned them of the unspecified negative consequences for
Lasman and BAPETEN should he be forced to retire. (Note:
Djaloeis told us that enhanced cooperration with USDOE could
suffer from his abrupt departure. End Note). Djaloies finally
recounted with relish Rajasa's public acknowledgement before
parliament that the President had approved Djaloeis' his
retirement extension. This happened May 13 in response to PAN
parliamentarian Nur Adnan's request that Rajasa explain
Djaloeis' continued tenure at BAPETEN after reaching retirement
age.

Postscript
--------------


8. (C) During the meeting, Djaloies seemed dazed, bemused and
at times defiant at his recent predicament. He characterized
his struggle as important to prevent extremist elements from
determining the fate of his agency. Toward the end of our
meeting, he introduced a BAPETEN colleague named Hieronimus
Salam, whom Djaloeis claimed was secretly assisting him in
his fight to keep his job. Later that day, Salam sent us a
text message declaring that he is a practicing Catholic, who
is determined to "attack and reduce the power of Jamaah
Islamiya" in Indonesia.

Comment
--------------


9. (C) Djaloies appeared convinced of the veracity of his
source's assertions, especially since they solved (for him
at least) a number of puzzling questions he had concerning
Lasman and Rajasa's role in the botched affair. Djaloies
source, in labeling PAN as a front for Tharbyah, could be
drawing conclusions from rumor, hearsay, or perhaps
non-representative experiences. We never heard of this group
before but open source searches came up with a few groups
with similar sounding names. For instance, the Tarbiyah
(Islamic Education),alias Ikwanul Muslimin (IM),supposedly
emerged in Indonesia in the 1980's with the return of
scholars from the Middle East. Besides religion, its
teachings encompass socioeconomic and political issues, with
the ultimate goal of an Islamic State. Another source (FBIS
quoted Sloahuddin, an Indonesian freelance journalist) stated
that a certain Tarbiyah or IM became the PKS. Other open
sources claim the "Tarbiyah Movement" in Indonesia, with
generous funding from Saudi Arabia, has
established congregations or "jamaah salaf" among students at
various state universities, such as the Bandung Institute of
Technology (ITB). Yet another open source claimed that IM (or
Tarbiyah) is "the biggest Islamic movement in the modern
era," whose primary goal is to arrest the trend of
secularization in the Islamic world.


10. (C) Of course Djaloeis may just be sensationalizing
ordinary bureaucratic infighting by appealing to what he
considers our concerns. While there are ardent Islamists
associated with PAN, and PAN enjoys close ties with PKS, it
seems highly unlikely that PAN -- one of Indonesia's main
political parties - is a front for Tharbyah. Furthermore, in
his capacity as PAN Secretary General, Hatta Rajasa has
fought against the Islamists in the party to advocate a more
pluralistic approach. We suspect that Djaloies sees an
Islamist motivation where none exists. Whether he seeks to
create one, hoping it will resonate with us, is unclear.
There could be many non-ideological reasons -- job
preservation -- why Djaloeis has shared with us his account
of Rajasa's efforts to replace him.


11. (C) Djaloeis has played a pivotal role in the
accelerated pace of close cooperation with USDOE over the
past year. His numerous visits to Washington to move policy
along (refs A, B, E and F) and his pivotal role in DOE and
IAEA visits to provide security safeguards to Indonesia's
three nuclear facilities (ref G),remove and return spent
fuel to the U.S. this past March (ref D),and provide
security upgrades to radiological facilities nationwide (ref
C) clearly demonstrate his positive role in continued
US-Indonesian cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear
energy. His retirement extension to the end of December may
be only a temporary reprieve. The next president will most
likely have the final say on whether Djaloies stays. With
just over a month before the first round of presidential
elections, the PAN candidate appears unlikely to make it into
the second round.

Boyce