Indosat CEO named new Pertamina president<\/p>\n
Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government appointed on Wednesday Widya Purnama as the new
\npresident director of the embattled state oil and gas firm PT
\nPertamina, in what appears to be a damage control measure amid
\nrecent scandals that may affect incumbent President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri's reelection bid.<\/p>\n
Widya, who was the chief executive of publicly listed
\ntelecommunications firm PT Indosat, succeeds Ariffi Nawawi, who
\nhas led Pertamina for a tumultuous 11-month period. All the
\nother members of the company's board of directors were also
\nreplaced except for finance director Alfred Rohimone.<\/p>\n
\"This (reshuffle) is part of a restructuring program. It is
\nexpected to boost the transparency and performance (of
\nPertamina), and make the management more solid,\" a deputy at the
\nOffice of State Minister of State Enterprise Roes Aryawijaya said
\nafter the induction ceremony.<\/p>\n
State Minister of State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi made the
\nrestructure public a week ago. He is also planning to change the
\nmanagement of flagship carrier Garuda Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Pertamina, which for decades has been the biggest money-making
\nmachine for corrupt government officials and politicians, has
\nbeen mired in financial difficulties and scandals during the past
\nfew months, with cash flow difficulties, the controversial sale
\nof its two giant oil tankers, well-publicized fuel shortages in
\nsome parts of the country, and cases of alleged corruption. Some
\nanalysts say these high-profile business problems could affect
\nthe reelection bid of Megawati, who has been trailing behind her
\nformer chief security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ahead of
\nthe September runoff.<\/p>\n
Megawati has so far scored low in several opinion polls due to
\nher poor performance in combating deep-rooted corruption.<\/p>\n
The move by the previous Pertamina management to sell two Very
\nLarge Crude Carriers (VLCCs) in June for US$184 million to the
\nNorway-based Frontline Ltd. drew protests from several parties,
\nincluding lawmakers and company employees, who said the company
\nwould have benefitted more if it owned its own tankers to ship
\nthe oil. But Pertamina management has insisted leasing the
\nvessels from third parties would be cheaper, something challenged
\nby some independent experts.<\/p>\n
The Anticorruption Commission (KPK) is currently investigating
\nalleged irregularities in the transaction.<\/p>\n
During the past couple of months, Pertamina has also been
\nunder attack for fuel shortage problem plaguing some regions.
\nThis is a politically sensitive issue particularly during the
\ncurrent election year.<\/p>\n
Widya said after the appointment ceremony his immediate
\npriority was to secure fuel distribution in the country.<\/p>\n
\"If there are any perpetrators smuggling fuel (out of the
\ncountry), we'll just shoot them!,\" Widya said.<\/p>\n
The rampant smuggling of the heavily subsidized fuel to
\nneighboring countries has been blamed for fuel shortages at home.<\/p>\n
\"I have come here to improve Pertamina. I will make Pertamina
\nthe best company in this region (Southeast Asia),\" Widya said,
\nwho said he had learned of his appointment via a hand phone text
\nmessage from Laksamana.<\/p>\n
After losing its decade-long monopoly and regulatory role,
\nPertamina recently changed its status into a limited liability
\ncompany and will eventually compete with private industry in the
\noil and gas sector.<\/p>\n
Widya, 50, started his career as a low-ranking employee at
\nIndosat before becoming president of the company in 2002. He is
\nthe second president of Pertamina to come from outside the
\ncompany.<\/p>\n
Other new members appointed to the Pertamina's board are
\nMuskito Saleh, in the new post of vice president, Hari Kustoro,
\nthe upstream director, and Suprijanto, the human resources and
\ngeneral affairs director.<\/p>\n
Suroso Atmomartoyo and Arie Soemarno have been appointed as
\nprocessing director and marketing director respectively. Arie,
\nwho is the brother of Minister of Trade and Industry Rini M
\nSoewandi, is the president of Petral, the Singapore-based trading
\narm of Pertamina.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indosat-ceo-named-new-pertamina-president-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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