President Not to Disband UKP3R
Tuesday, 02 January, 2007 | 16:41 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will not disband the Presidential Working Unit for Managing Programs and Reform (UKP3R). He will not discharge his special staff, although the Presidential Advisory Council (DPP) is about to be established. The President will only reorganize his advisers.

According to Presidential spokesperson Andi Mallarangeng, UKP3R and the Presidential special staff will not advise the President so that it will not overlap with DPP. “Special staff and UKP3R are Presidential support . They must differ with the advisers,” said Andi after attending a discussion at the Ramako Radio entitled “The Dynamics of Legal Politics 2007” Saturday (12/30). However, he said, the President will reorganize some of his advisers such as Sjahrir, Ali Alatas and Rachmawati Soekarnoputri.

The set- up of UKP3R had been criticized by some political parties, especially the Functional Group (Golkar). In order to control the matter, the House of Representatives (DPR) has legalized regulation on the DPP in November. According to Agun Gunandjar, former head of the special committee of regulations, the President should disband UKP3R so that it will not overlap the DPP. “Even without the existence of DPP, UKP3R should be disbanded because the existing institutions carry out its function,” Agun said yesterday (1/1).

The reason is that, based on the regulations on DPP, every institution or individual that has the same authority with DPP must dissolve or be disbanded. “With that as the basis , it means that (DPP is) disbanded, including UKP3R,” he said. However, he does not mind if UKP3R's task is different than DPP's.

Political analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Indra J. Piliang suggested that statesmen and youth should be members of DPP in order to meet political regeneration. Indra was against the views of including members of political parties to the council. “It will only trigger controversy, especially if the President does not accept their advice,” he said.

Oktamandjaya Wiguna, Aqida