(17 Jun 2001)
1. Tilt down from presidential sign to President Wahid walking into news conference
2. Cutaway
3. SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa Indonesia) Abdurrahman Wahid, President of Indonesia:
"The main reason why I made these changes is efficiency, in order to achieve our targets."
4. Cutaway
5. Wahid walks away and presidential spokesman Yahya Staquf walks up to podium
6. SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa Indonesia) Yahya Staquf, presidential spokesman:
"The President dismisses the Economics Minister, Mr Rizal Ramli and the finance minister Mr Prijady and appoints Burhanuddin Abdullah as Coordinating Minister for Economics and Mr Rizal Ramli as Finance Minister."
7. Cutaway
8. Yahya Staquf walks away
9. Exterior of Defence Ministry
10. Wide shot of Indonesia Defence Minister Mahfud MD sitting at news conference
11. Cutaway of journalists
12. Wide of news conference
13. Journalists taking notes
14. SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa Indonesia) Mahfud MD, Indonesian Defence Minister:
"Everything will be solved properly and the situation will calm down without taking advantage of the people or political parties. Most importantly is that hopefully there will be a very good solution for our economic reform, political situation and our national integrity after the special session."
15. Wide of news conference
STORYLINE:
Embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid on Tuesday changed his economics team in the Cabinet in a bid to rebuild his support ahead of impeachment proceedings and to smooth relations with disgruntled foreign lenders.
It was the second major change to his troubled Cabinet in 11 days and aides said that further changes could be made as part of a possible political deal to keep him in power.
In a prepared statement read by an aide on behalf of the nearly blind president, Wahid said Burhanuddin Abdullah, a deputy governor of the central bank and former Indonesian representative to the International Monetary Fund, had replaced Rizal Ramli as senior economics minister.
Rizal, a longtime critic of the IMF, was demoted to the post of finance minister and replaced incumbent Prijadi Praptosuhardjo, who was dropped from the Cabinet.
A new State Apparatus Minister, Anwar Suprijadi, who will be in charge of much of the government's administrative functions, was also appointed.
Praptosuhardjo, a friend of Wahid's, was appointed only last August despite concerns about his former business dealings.
Since then he has been widely criticized for failing to implement basic policies meant to fix Indonesia's economy, which was hardest hit by Asia's financial crisis.
Yahya Staquf, a Wahid spokesman, told reporters later that the president hoped Burhanuddin would improve ties with the IMF, which is currently delaying the disbursement of 400 (m) million dollars in loans in a dispute over the pace of economic reform in Indonesia.
The Cabinet changes come as Wahid battles to maintain his hold on power ahead of an August impeachment session by Indonesia's national assembly.
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