Audit body chief to be selected

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives will name three candidates tomorrow for the Supreme Audit Agency chairmanship to replace J.B. Sumarlin who retired last month.

Deputy House Speaker Abdul Gafur said after a meeting among leaders of the legislative body that the four factions in the House would pick one candidate from the audit body, and the rest from other institutions.

"The other two nominees could be a cabinet minister or a high- ranking official from the Armed Forces. In principle, we will nominate people with expertise in financial management and auditing," Gafur said.

The three candidates' names will be presented to the President, who will select them as required by law.

Gafur refused to identify the three figures who would be selected, but admitted that the deputy chairman of the audit agency, Kunarto, had been widely supported.

"Let's wait for the factions' decision. I don't know who is the appropriate nominee for the top job at the audit body," Gafur said.

Kunarto, who turns 58 next June, was elected as deputy for Sumarlin, the minister of finance from 1988 to 1993, after completing his service as the national police chief in 1993.

President Soeharto discharged Sumarlin after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 early last month. Since then, the agency has been chaired collectively by its members.

A 1973 law on the jurisdiction of the supreme audit agency says that the body, which is independent from the executive branch, has the authority to supervise the financial affairs of the government and the implementation of the state budgets.

The body reports its supervision activities to the House twice a year. (amd)