President appoints 10 special staff, including 6 new faces

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has signed a presidential decree on the appointment of 10 special staff, six of whom are new faces.

Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal told tempointeraktif.com on Thursday evening that all the special staff had signed a pact of integrity and performance contract.

He also said that the new staff had received directions over their future duties directly from the President at the Presidential Palace.

"The President has signed the decree. Let the State Secretary or the President himself announce the names," Dino said, refusing to mention the 10 names.

However, Palace sources say that Julian Adrian Pasha, deputy dean of the University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Sciences, is appointed as the new spokesman for domestic affairs, after Andi Mallarangeng left to become Youth Affairs and Sports Minister.

Andi Arief, former activist of Democratic People's Party, is the President's special staff member for social aid and natural disasters. Velix Wanggai, an expert at the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), will assist the President on regional autonomy matters.

Colonel Ahmad Yani Basuki, an Army spokesman, is the President's special staff person for information and communications. Political observer Daniel Sparringa will assist him in the field of political communications. And Jusuf Wangkar is the President's special staff person on security affairs.

Old faces remaining in the ranks include Dino himself, the presidential spokesman for foreign affairs; presidential expert staff for legal affairs Denny Indrayana; Sardan Marbun, who has been assisting the President on social issues; and Heru Lelono.