Jakarta (ANTARA News) - After President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s statement last Wednesday that at the end of his first 100 days in office on January 20, he would evaluate his cabinet`s performance, there was wide public speculation about whether or not Yudhoyono would then also reshuffle his team of ministers.

Chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) faction in the House of Representatives or DPR, Tjahjo Kumolo, said if there really was a standard to assess the cabinet`s performance during its first 100 days, it could be easily perceived which cabinet ministers had been working well, and which had been unable to translate the president`s directives effectively.

The many comments made on the need for a cabinet performance evaluation showed that the Democrat Party (PD)-led coalition at the House of Representatives seemed too fragile to offer full political support to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s government, amid the ongoing investigation into the Rp6.76 trillion (US$712 million) Bank Century bailout.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here on Wednesday (Jan 6) said he planned to evaluate the performance of his cabinet on January 20 after the first 100 days of his term.

In his speech at the inauguration of a cabinet secretary and three vice ministers, Yudhoyono appealed to all ministers to be loyal and consistent in carrying out the contract of performance and pact of integrity they had signed.

"Implement the pact of integrity and performance contract because they have jointly been made and signed. I will evaluate it with a hope all remain loyal and consistent with what they have signed. A contract must be fully respected," he said.

Besides the pact of integrity and performance contract, President Yudhoyono also reminded them about the coalition deal as an agreement that they also had to adhere to while implementing the task of the second unity cabinet.

The head of state reminded about the importance of the first 100 days program as a foundation for determining the government`s priority agenda for 2010 and even the next five years until 2014.

"We must be aware that this is a program for 2010 and even an initial program for the next five years," he said.

According to the president, the government`s performance in 2010 will determine the government`s success in the next five years.

President Yudhoyono also reminded that the success of the implementation of the first 100 days program must not be viewed in parts but totally including the achievements in other government programs.

Although the domestic political situation had tended to heat up after the 2009 general elections and the establishment of the second United Indonesia cabinet, President Yudhoyono called on all the cabinet ministers to keep concentrating on carrying out their tasks so that the first 100 days program could be accomplished.

In the meantime, a political observer, Dr Sukardi Rinakit of Sugeng Saryadi Syndicate, said that some political parties in the Democrat Party (PD)-led coalition that supports President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s government now do not seem to be one-hundred percent loyal to him.

He made the statement in Jakarta on Monday relating to President Yudhoyono`s plan to evaluate the performance of his cabinet on January 20.

"Therefore, I frequently said that the evaluation of the cabinet`s performance could become psychological pressure on the ministers and the coalition parties concerned," he said.

Rinakit added that such an evaluation was one of the president`s ways to pressure the coalition parties, because there was an impression some of the parties were not fully loyal to him.

"I think there will be no cabinet reshuffle after the first 100 days of Yudhoyono`s term," he said when asked whether or not a reshuffle would happen to low performing ministers.

According to him, the current political situation where among others the anti-corruption movement and the high-profile Bank Century scandal were heating up had made Yudhoyono careful to act.

"Conducting a reshuffle would mean further raising the political temperature," Rinakit said.

In addition, government expert and former State Minister for Regional Autonomy Prof Dr Riyas Rashid also believed that President Yudhoyono will not implement the reshuffle because it will lead to an impression that he has made wrong choices in his cabinet line-up.

"So a reshuffle will not occur," Rasyid said, adding that an evluation of the cabinet`s performance was something natural to decide the president`s further steps.

Last Saturday, a political observer from Gajah Mada University, Arie Sujito, predicted that president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s statement on a planned evaluation of parties coalition in the government will not lead to a cabinet reshuffle.

"President Yudhoyono`s statement was actually more to boost the bargaining over positions in the cabinet of the coalescing political parties, and this evaluation will not lead to a cabinet reshuffle, because if the reshuffle happens it will become a boomerang to Yudhoyono," he said.

Should the reshuffle occur, it would show that the coalition set up by Yudhoyono is very fragile and this, of course, will be exploited by the opposition, he said.

"This evaluation will only recheck the parties` commitment to coalition, and this is something natural, because Yudhoyono feels that in the development of political journey there is coalesced party or its cadre who were opposing the president`s policy," he disclosed.

He said further that in the evaluation of each coalition party leader would certainly explain the reasons for the differences of opinion, and then sought the best solution.
"So, Yudhoyono would hardly reshuffle his cabinet, because he will certainly hold the whole political parties` commitment," he said.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Economy, Hatta Radjasa, disclosed on Monday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was until now not planning to reshuffle his cabinet.(*)