Indonesia's new president announced her long-awaited cabinet yesterday, winning immediate praise for her choice of a team to pull the country out of years of crisis.
Looking relaxed and confident in the presidential palace that was her childhood home, Megawati Sukarnoputri picked a mostly professional team, although she also handed a number of posts to major political parties and potential foes.
"The economics team is a good choice," Budi Hikmat, an economist with Bahan Securities, said.
The chief economics minister is outgoing ambassador to Washington and respected economist Dorodjatun Kuntoro-Jakti, with former national economic planning chief Boediono as finance minister.
"Dorodjatun and Boediono are the best combination," said prominent economist Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
"Dorodjatun has broad economic skills and is a good coordinator and Boediono is a good scholar and bureaucrat with high integrity. I give Megawati two thumbs up for these choices."
While Megawati handed some posts to key political parties, many of the top positions went to technocrats, a signal Indonesia may at last have a cabinet chosen for its skills, not its political affiliations.
She picked widely respected former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as chief political and security minister, a job he was sacked from in the last days of the previous government.
It is one of the most important posts as the world's fourth most populous nation struggles to quell separatist rebellions that has killed thousands in recent years.
The former vice-president and daughter of founding president Sukarno came to power nearly three weeks ago when the top legislative assembly sacked former president Abdurrahman Wahid for incompetence after just 21 months in office.
In her opening remarks, she immediately called on the country's fractious politicians to unite in helping the country recover from four years of economic and political mayhem which has dragged millions back into a life of poverty and violence.
"I realize how difficult the tasks and the responsibilities of the new cabinet will be. I'm looking for support from all groups," Megawati told reporters.
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