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As if for the first day of the school year, there was a nervousness in the air and overdressed attendees for the first meeting of the government’s new ministerial team on Friday morning.

But President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono opened the meeting with a sense of purpose by spelling out three areas he wanted his new cabinet to focus on: change, continuity and unity.

“Change and continuity” meant new ministers should not hesitate to continue relevant programs begun under the last administration, he explained, while an appraisal of his last government’s five years had given him insights into obstacles to change. “I have identified weaknesses, constraints and unfinished goals because of bottlenecks and clashing regulations,” he said.

Yudhoyono said the main agenda for the new government included boosting growth to 7 percent or more by 2014, improving governance and ensuring that democracy remained solid.

Also important was realizing fair and inclusive development. “We should really pay attention to regional development, intersector development and the development of marginal or underdeveloped communities,” he said.

The first priority would be to improve governance, including the sluggish bureaucracy. The education sector was number two, followed by poverty reduction, food security, infrastructure, investment and business climate, and energy.

Yudhoyono specifically announced the formation of a poverty control coordinating team to be led by Vice President Boediono and intended to “synergize and synchronize poverty control.”

The team would comprise the coordinating ministries for the economy and people’s welfare and other ministries, Yudhoyono pledged.

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) shows that 32.5 million, or 14.1 percent, of the country’s 230 million people were living in poverty as of last March.

Yudhoyono again stressed that his ministers were all carefully selected. “Many outside of us, in certain capacities are way above us. But as this is a five-year program, based on my vision, action plan, priorities and agenda, I therefore looked for the appropriate individuals,” he said.

The first cabinet meeting was marked by awkwardness and faux pas, with the well-dressed new ministers reporting bright and early, most arriving an hour ahead of schedule. Instead of the “daily suit” required by protocol, the men wore full suits and ties or batik shirts. The women wore batik.

The new ministers apparently were not the only nervous ones. When new State Secretary Sudi Silalahi entered the assembly room, protocol officials mistakenly thought he was Yudhoyono and asked the ministers to rise. They burst out laughing when they realized their mistake.

“We are too enthusiastic for the first meeting,” said one minister, as quoted by okezone.com.

The laughter ceased when Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono arrived less than a minute later.

One attendee did not, however, get to stay for the action. Gita Wirjawan, the new head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), was asked to leave.

It was revealed that his position was not a full cabinet-level position yet. “My inauguration will come later,” said Gita, who will have to wait until a new cabinet secretary is appointed.