SBY REPLACES AILING HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002377

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INR/EAP
NSC FOR ECHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KISL PINR ID
SUBJECT: SBY REPLACES AILING HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER

REF: A. JAKARTA 2051

B. JAKARTA 1282

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Classified By: Deputy Pol/C Stanley J. Harsha for reasons 1.4(b,d)

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) On August 28, President Yudhoyono appointed Central
Java Governor Mardiyanto to replace Mohamad Ma'ruf as the
Minister for Home Affairs. Mardiyanto was sworn in on August

29. Outgoing Minister Ma'ruf suffered a debilitating heart
attack in late March, and SBY surprised many observers by
failing to move more swiftly to replace Ma'aruf after it
became clear his condition was not improving. A retired army
major general, Mardiyanto has no political ties and is widely
respected as an impartial figure with a strong governing
record. End Summary.

SBY FINALLY PULLS THE TRIGGER
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2. (C) Nearly five months after Mohamad Ma'ruf suffered a
heart attack that put him into a coma, President Yudhoyono
named a replacement to take over the rudderless Ministry of
Home Affairs. The move filled a critical hole in SBY's
cabinet, and ended months of speculation about his plans for
the position. Coupled with the cabinet modifications the
President made in May (Ref B),the move shores up SBY's team
as he approaches the third year anniversary of his five year
term.

MARDIYANTO THE MAN
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3. (C) According to Umar Juoro, a former staffer for
President Habibie, Mardiyanto had a strong reputation as a
reform minded general during his military days, and has
maintained that reputation throughout the course of his
governorship. Juoro told us that Mardiyanto was widely
admired for his stewardship of Central Java, and noted that
his lack of political connections had allowed him to operate
without the political party pressures that have hampered the
effectiveness of many other Governors.


4. (U) Press coverage of Mardiyanto's appointment has been
uniformly positive, and politicians seemed to be tripping
over each other to offer words of praise for him. Yuddy
Chrisnandi, a parliamentarian with Golkar, offered an
assessment of Mardiyanto that was representative: "There are
three reasons why Mardiyanto is the right person, namely that
the president knows him well, he has the required
capabilities for the job, and is widely accepted."

TOP PRIORITIES FOR MARDIYANTO
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5. (C) Mardiyanto's top priority as Home Affairs Minister
will be to coordinate the implementation of the
Constitutional Court's decision to allow independent
candidates to contest sub-national elections (Ref A).
According to EMBASSY contacts, Mardiyanto's status as a
political outsider should give him the credibility to lead
the government's efforts to create the electoral mechanism
for independent candidates. Mardiyanto will also serve as
the President's lead negotiator with Parliament on a package
of four political bills currently under consideration and
likely to pass early next year.

BIO NOTES
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6. (U) Mission has the following bio notes on the new
Minister:

-- Mardiyanto: Born November 21, 1949....graduated from the
National Military Academy in 1970...served as the Commander
of DANREM in Kalimantan in 1991...served as the Head of the
Military Tactical Department of the Military Academy from

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1993-1995 and then as Rector of the Academy from
1995-1997...served as the Commander of the IV /Diponegoro
Area Military Command from 1997-1998...as Governor of Central
Java from 1998-2007...speaks English fluently...is married to
Effi Nurbayati and has two sons.
HUME