THE news surfaced at the State Palace on Sunday two weeks ago. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a Presidential Regulation on the establishment of the position of Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs prior to leaving on an overseas trip on March 10-19. According to presidential spokesperson Andi Mallarangeng, the step was taken to support the performance of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

This is the first time in Indonesia’s history that the republic has had a post of Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, although the position of Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs did indeed exist in the past. During the era of the Amir Sjarifuddin I Cabinet (July 1947-November 11, 1947), the post of Foreign Affairs Minister was held by H. Agus Salim and the post of Vice Minister was filled by Tamsil. There was also the Sutan Sjahrir Cabinet (October 2, 1946-June 27, 1947) in which the post of Foreign Affairs Minister was held by Sutan Sjahrir and H. Agus Salim became Vice Minister.

There are several reasons why the Minister for Foreign Affair’s position needs to be strengthened. According to Hassan Wirajuda, ministerial level meetings frequently take place at the same time. But the meetings cannot possibly be delegated to the director-general. “It can be delegated, but it wouldn’t really be considered too seriously,” said Wirajuda when speaking with Tempo.

Not to mention the difference in time zones between other countries. As a consequence, there is not much time available to speak with the President. In Wirajuda’s words, this “limits the length of time we can speak.” Moreover in a number of countries cellular or fixed-line telephone communication is still a barrier.

According to Andi, it was precisely in order to overcome these problems that the President formed the new post. “In a number of countries, it is common for foreign affairs ministers to have a representative,” said Presidential Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Dino Patti Djalal. In the US for example, the Assistant Secretary of State acts as executive officer when the Secretary of State is predisposed. The deputy can also become a “spare tire,” representing the Secretary for—among other things—meeting the Senate or parliament. In the US, the position is currently held by John Negroponte.

The idea of forming the new position surfaced a year ago but was only discussed with President Yudhoyono within the last two months. According to a Tempo source, up until now it still has not been decided whether the position will be a political post or should be filled by a person “from within” Pejambon—the office of the Department of Foreign Affairs. “The final position is in the hands of the President,” said a source close to the minister.

There are two candidates whose names have been circulated to fill the new post. If it is intended to be a political post, experienced diplomat Makarim Wibisono has a good chance of being chosen. The 60-year-old former Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia for the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has straddled the world of diplomacy for some 30 years. Marty Natalegawa, a seasoned diplomat who is currently serving as Indonesia’s ambassador at the UN headquarters in New York, has also reportedly entered the contest.

The issue has attracted support and criticism. The head of the House of Representatives (DPR) Foreign Affairs Commission, Theo L. Sambuaga, is of the view that the appointment of a Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister could be because Indonesia’s foreign affairs policy demands are becoming more extensive. DPR Defense Commission member from the National Mandate Party, Djoko Susilo, has a different opinion. “The post is too late, the Department of Foreign Affair’s activities aren’t that packed [these days],” he said.

Because this is the first time that such a new position has been planned, suspicions have also surfaced. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle politician Andreas Pareira suspects that the post is being created because the President no longer agrees with Wirajuda. “The President’s foreign affairs policy line is not necessarily correct in the eyes of the Foreign Affairs Minister, likewise the other way round,” said the member of the DPR’s Foreign Affairs Commission.

According to Andreas, the President and Wirajuda have different opinions on the issue of the Indonesia-Singapore extradition and defense treaty, known as the Defense Cooperation Agreement. Initially, in 2005, the two countries were only discussing an extradition treaty. The Palace however then ordered that negotiations include discussions on a security and counterterrorism treaty.

This being the case, the Foreign Affairs Department was effectively no longer leading the negotiations because its role had been taken over by the Defense Department. Because there was no agreement, the treaty was later cancelled. “The dispute culminated in the formation of the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs,” said Andreas. But is this actually true? Dino Patti Djalal denies that it is. “It’s just an empty rumor.”

D.A. Candraningrum, Fanny Febiana, Ninin Damayanti, Eko Ari Wibowo