Medan, N Sumatra (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono needs to be careful in responding to a proposal to reshuffle his ministers because it could disadvantage his government and the Democratic Party (PD), a political observer said.

"It will be very counter-productive if a reshuffle is made without good reason," M Ridwan Rangkuti, a political scientist of the North Sumatra University (USU), said here on Monday.

He said that reshuffle was basically the president`s prerogative but it should be done on the basis of a minister`s performance, for example, a minister`s performance in the first 100 days in office.

However, he said, if the president is to reshuffle his ministers because the attitude of the ministers` political parties were not in line with the PD with regard to the Bank Century case, the reshuffle would create various negative repercussions.

The more so, if those replaced are ministers who have made good achievements. "This would be questioned by the people," he said.

He said that a reshuffle of ministers whose political parties had vocal voices regarding the Bank Century case would create `laziness` among the cabinet ministers.

Ministers who were not replaced would think their positions were safe because they were not involved in the Bank Century inquiry.

Rangkuti said it was not impossible that the performance of a minister would decline because the minister concerned would not think he or she would be replaced," he said.

"This could make the minister to think that performance would come second. What would come first is loyalty," he said.

Therefore, the president should think carefully in responding to the reshuffle proposal and give a priority to professionalism and work achievements, he said.

DP Secretary General Amir Syamsuddin said he and PD House faction chairman Anas Urbaningrum and PD associate chairman Jafar Hafsah had made the proposal to the president on Thursday (Feb 4).

He said that the proposal was made in connection with the PD disappointment over the attitude of a number of coalition parties which was not in line with that of the PD with regard to the Bank Century bailout issue.(A014/K004)

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono
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