Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08JAKARTA597
2008-03-25 09:07:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Jakarta
Cable title:  

INDONESIA MOVES TO CREATE DEPUTY FM POSITION

Tags:  PGOV PREL ID 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO3583
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0597/01 0850907
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 250907Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8451
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4846
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2217
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1684
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1705
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2451
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 2524
RUEHBAD/AMCONSUL PERTH 0657
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0160
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7747
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0839
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000597 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS
NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA MOVES TO CREATE DEPUTY FM POSITION

Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000597

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS
NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA MOVES TO CREATE DEPUTY FM POSITION

Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: President Yudhoyono has issued an executive
order creating the new position of "Vice Minister" in the
Department of Foreign Affairs. Palace sources said the new
deputy slot was necessary to take care of the press of
business. Legislators have raised questions about the move
and demanded clarification. Speculation is rife as to who
might fill the new slot, but the GOI has not yet tipped its
hand. END SUMMARY

A NEW NUMBER TWO SLOT


2. (U) Presidential Spokesman Andi Malarangeng announced on
March 22 that President Yudhoyono had signed an executive
order on March 10 creating a deputy minister position in the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU). (Note: DEPLU's
"Secretary-General" position--which is now held by Imron
Cotan--has been widely considered the number two slot up to
now.) The position apparently will not be cabinet-level. In
explaining the move, Malarangeng stressed that the press of
business made the new position necessary. SBY continued to
have full confidence in FM Wirajuda, he noted. Wirajuda's
frequent travel--and the difficulty the president has in
communicating with Wirajuda when he is out of the
country--also were considerations in the decision to create
the job.


3. (U) FM Wirajuda stated to the press that the position
would go to a career diplomat rather than a political
appointee. Media speculation has centered on a number of
possible candidates to fill the slot, including senior
diplomats Makarim Wibisono, PermRep to the UN in Geneva, and
Triyono Wibowo, PermRep to the UN in Vienna. Two younger
diplomats are also mentioned as possible candidates,
including Marty Natalegawa, PermRep at the UN in New York,
and Dino Djalal, a career DEPLU officer who currently serves
as a top presidential advisor.


4. (C) DEPLU has long sought the creation of such a
position. Umar Hadi, DEPLU's Director for Public Diplomacy
and a close associate of Wirajuda's, told Dep/Pol/C on March
24 that the Department had first formally proposed creation
of the deputy minister position in 2002 and now wanted to
move ahead as quickly as possible. Hadi expected a candidate
to be named soon.


5. (C) Denny Abdi, Special Assistant to DEPLU
Secretary-General Imron Cotan, told poloff that FM Wirajuda

SIPDIS
would propose a senior diplomat for the position. He noted
that--although President Yudhoyono would make the final
decision regarding the selection--it was expected that the
president would give the nod to Wirajuda's nominee.
Observers suggest that the president will want someone he is
close to and trusts in the new position.

LEGISLATORS HAVE QUESTIONS


6. (U) Legislators have publicly wondered whether the new
slot is necessary. Yuddy Chrisnandi, a member of the foreign
and security affairs committee of the Indonesian legislature
(DPR),told reporters that he and other members of the DPR
were not convinced that the new position was necessary. He
specifically questioned the cost of the new position.
Committee Chairman Theo Sambuaga told the media that the
President's Office must consult further with the DPR before
formally creating the position.


7. (C) DPR members are also angry because they feel that the
President's Office and DEPLU failed to consult with them
before announcing the new position, according to contacts.
DPR members have also questioned the possible precedent this
move might set for other ministries (which generally do not
have deputies). Ambassador Djismun Kasri, a retired DEPLU
official who advises the DPR, told poloff that lawmakers were

JAKARTA 00000597 002 OF 002


unsure how the new position would relate to DEPLU's existing
hierarchy.


8. (SBU) (Note: Re the existing hierarchy: the
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
officially serves as acting Foreign Minister when the FM is
traveling. Thus, DEPLU's Secretary-General, who basically
acts as the number-two official when the FM is in country,
does not serve in an "acting" role when the FM is out of the
country. End Note.)

WHAT'S NEXT?


9. (C) Under the Indonesian Constitution, Yudhoyono can
technically move forward and install a new vice minister
position without having to satisfy DPR concerns. However,
observers expect that the government will work to assuage the
DPR's concerns before naming anyone to the position. This
would be a prudent course of action, given the fact that the
DPR has become an increasingly important player on foreign
policy issues and can be obstreperous if crossed.
Speculation is rife as to who might fill the new slot, but
the GOI has not yet tipped its hand.

HUME