Alwi out to reshape ambassadorial picks

Alwi out to reshape ambassadorial picks

JAKARTA (JP): Foreign minister Alwi Shihab said on Thursday he
would prefer non-career diplomats to occupy only between 5
percent and 15 percent of all ambassadorships abroad.

Speaking at a breaking of the fast gathering with members of
the media, Alwi said about 33 percent of the 105 ambassadorial
posts abroad were currently held by non-foreign ministry
officials.

Alwi conceded that appointing ambassadors was the prerogative
of the president, but he regarded the current allotment as unfair
and likely to cause jealousy.

He said he would like to halve the number of non-foreign
ministry ambassadors to about 15 percent.

"Hopefully at the end of Gus Dur's tenure five years from now
we can even lower that to 5 percent," he added, referring to
President Abdurrahman Wahid by his nickname.

Many important postings, particularly those considered
strategic, have been occupied in the past by senior military
officials.

The foreign minister said he had spoken to the President and
Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Adm. Widodo AS about abandoning
the "security approach" outlook in appointing ambassadors to
postings in the Southeast Asian region.

Alwi said the President agreed to appoint Hadi Wayarabi, the
Foreign Ministry's Director for Asia Pacific Affairs, as
ambassador to Malaysia in the near future, which would make him
the first Indonesian civilian ambassador in Kuala Lumpur.

Appointing ambassadorships is one of the president's
prerogatives. Recent amendments to the 1945 Constitution demand
that the president consult the House of Representatives in
appointing Indonesian ambassadors and receiving foreign ones.

Former Indonesian ambassador to Australia Sabam Siagian
expressed general approval for Alwi's proposals, but urged the
foreign minister to review the 5 percent limit he set for non-
foreign ministry ambassadors.

"Maybe it should be something like 20 percent," he said at the
gathering.

He noted that several non-foreign ministry officials appointed
ambassadors performed admirably and there were no grounds to
immediately eliminate them from selection.

Sabam argued that future ambassadors would need greater skills
and ability to meet increasing demands.

He also contended that applying a strict quota would lead
junior foreign ministry officials to assume they held the
overriding right to ambassadorial posts regardless of their
professional merit. (04/mds)